6,912 child marriages stopped in Tamil Nadu during pandemic days

“As many as 6,912 cases of child marriages were stopped in the State during the pandemic period,” said Saraswathi Rangaswamy, chairperson of Tamil Nadu Commission for Protection of Child Rights (TNCPCR).

The increase in incidents of child marriages is attributed to a lack of awareness among parents and the absence of physical presence of students in schools.

“During the lockdown, the children couldn’t even go out to school and were forced to stay in the house. If they had gone to school, they would have gotten some awareness through teachers. As they remained in the house, the parents below the poverty line got them married,” she told media on Friday, following a meeting at the Namakkal Collectorate to take stock on the precautionary measures taken to save children from the expected third wave of COVID-19.

The meeting was attended by District Collector Shreya P Singh, Superintendent of Police Sarojkumar Tahore, Deputy Director of Health Services S Somasundaran, District Revenue Officer Durga Murthy and CEO P Ayyannan.

COVID-19 has resulted in as many as 3,592 children losing a single parent, while 93 children have lost both.

“Such children were identified and information has been given to the State government for relief. Those who lost both the parents have been given Rs 5 lakh and those who lost a single parent Rs three lakh,” she said.