The Child Welfare Committee (CWC) of Cuttack district along with the help of Athagarh police on Wednesday stopped a child marriage and rescued a 17-year-old girl of the locality, who was all set to tie the knot on the day.
“The rescued girl was restored with her parents after taking an undertaking from the parents that they would not marry off their daughter till she attends the marriageable age,” said CWC member Pradeep Kumar Patnaik.
The CWC has also ordered the District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) to monitor the case and report to the CWC every three months stating the marital status of the rescued girl, Patnaik said.
After counselling, the girl’s parents, belonging to Patana village of Katakia panchayat, realised that they were going to perform an illegal act, local panchayat representatives also assured the CWC that they would not allow any underage marriages henceforth.
Patnaik said reports of child marriages are rampant in rural areas where parents get their daughters married off before they attend the legal age of 18 years for the purpose. “Surprisingly, most of the parents do not know that their act is illegal,” he said.