Monday marks the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya, a day which witnesses many a child marriages from generations. This year, the Rajasthan government will keep a strict eye out for cases of child marriages across the state.
In addition, the Rajasthan State Legal Services Authority (RALSA) has come up with a campaign guideline to check child marriages on all days but especially Akshaya Tritiya and Peepul Purnima on 21 May.
RALSA observes that local policemen usually know about child marriages but don’t register any cases.
District collectors and other officials are chalking out a plan to be vigilant on child marriages for the months of April-June and November-December 2016. Camps at schools and public places to spread awareness on the wrongs of this concept and talking about benefits of marrying when an adult, will take place. Morning prayers in schools are planning to subtly address this issue, reports The Indian Express.
Widespread awareness is equally important along with strict legislations to end the evil of child marriage.Vasundhara Raje, Chief Minister, Rajasthan
Self-help groups and NGO’s have been asked to become active and aim to counsel families that prefer to marry off their children.
For the past 5-6 years, the government and the NGOs have been successful in creating a pressure against child marriages but it will take some time before it stops entirely.Dr Arvind Ohja, CEO, NGO Urmul
Parents of such children, now aware of the government’s rules and regulations on auspicious dates, have started to marry off their offsprings on other days.