Minor married off thrice in last 4 yrs; complaint filed against 30
A 17-year-old from Beed district was forced into marriage for the third time in the last four years by her parents. The minor was forcefully married in 2020, and then again in 2022, but she subsequently ran away from the residence of the person she was betrothed. too. On June 7, she was again forced into marriage but was rescued just hours after the ceremony by activists and the police.
The issue came to light on Wednesday when the NGO—Childline— in Beed, received a call about a minor girl's wedding in Bavi village of Shirur Taluka in Beed. Santosh Repe from Childline Beed, told The Indian Express
“A team was immediately sent to the village but they found nothing. Then we received another call informing us that the wedding had already taken place. We were shocked and asked the caller for more details. The person said that he was actually the first groom of this child bride.”
Since the girl lives in Bavi village, the NGO was first informed about it. The wedding actually took place in Dahiwandi village, at the groom's house, which the caller got to know later and he called again to inform the NGO.
Childline swung into action and a team including the village development officer (VDO) began searching Dahiwandi village.
VDO Seema Khedkar said, “We were able to identify a house, but when we visited, we were told that it was just a tilak ceremony, wherein a marriage is fixed. But when we took a stern approach, the people there admitted that it was a wedding. It was the groom's second marriage, after separation from his first wife. Local police were informed immediately.”
The girl, according to VDO, was just a month away from turning 18 years old. “Fortunately, as the incident came to light, the entire story including her past two marriages was uncovered,” said Khedkar.
Sharing details of her previous weddings, Repe said, “This girl was first married off in 2020 at age 14 to 22-year-old Adinath Pansambal, of Ukhand village in Beed. This marriage lasted only 3 months as the girl, who was only a child then, did not really understand the concept of marriage and appropriate behaviour at home. Her parents, who work as labourers on sugarcane farms, then shifted to Satara for work.”
“ There, the girl, now 15 years old, was again married off in February 2022, this time to 40-year-old Samir Veer of Rui village in Satara district. But that too did not work out for more than two months,” he added.
The minor girl herself confirmed the details of the incidents saying she was married off by her parents. The girl is now in the custody of Child Welfare Committee (CWC) in Beed, and has been admitted to their short–stay home where she will undergo counselling before the future course of action is decided.
Childline has submitted photos from her previous two weddings to the police as evidence. The NGO is now demanding that complaints should be filed under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in the cases of the first two marriages, considering that the child lived at the homes of grooms for 2-3 months.
Assistant Police Inspector Ganesh Dhokrat, who is in-charge of Shirur Rural police station, said, “Most likely we will act under POCSO. However, currently the child is undergoing counselling, after which we will record her statement in the presence of CWC members before deciding upon it.”
A complaint has been filed against 30 individuals including her parents under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006.
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EYES ON TRAFFICKING
This “Eyes on Trafficking” story is reprinted from its original online location.
ABOUT PBJ LEARNING
PBJ Learning is a leading provider of online human trafficking training, focusing on awareness and prevention education. Their interactive Human Trafficking Essentials online course is used worldwide to educate professionals and individuals how to recognize human trafficking and how to respond to potential victims. Learn on any web browser (even your mobile phone) at any time.
More stories like this can be found in your PBJ Learning Knowledge Vault.