‘Ending Child Marriage is need of the Hour’ –I.Murali Kumar, PCO, Childline (Collab), Trichy.

I.Murali kumar enligthens the Childline Team along  with Naveen Balaji.

I.Murali Kumar, Project Coordinator, Childline (Collab), of SEVAI,Trichy stated ‘Ending Child Marriage is need of the Hour’ in the ‘in-service orientation’ of Trichy Childline (collab) team members and Social Work Placement students in the presence of Childline Nodal Coordinator, Naveen Balaji. Project Coordinator, Childline (Collab), Trichy further said ‘Poverty, gender discrimination and migration etc have a big impact on child marriage and on the health of minor girls in rural areas’. Child marriage is the violation of   of human rights and it reduce children skills, knowledge, resources, social support, mobility and autonomy. Female illiteracy was found to be a leading cause for a high incidence in child marriage. There are numerous studies that show women who are married as children, also end up having children at a very young age, putting their health and their child’s health in jeopardy. Child brides often become mothers at an early age. Soon after marriage, they face pressure from their husband and in-laws, their family and the wider community, to prove their fertility. Child brides also often show signs symptomatic of child sexual abuse and post-traumatic stress, including feelings of hopelessness, helplessness and severe depression. Child marriage encourages sexual activity when girls are still developing and know little about their bodies, their sexual and reproductive health, and their right to contraception. Parents should be taught that their girls are safe in school and Parents are to realize how education can truly make a difference in their girl child’s life, Girls are made to feel like their role in society is to get married and be a good daughter, wife and then mother. Ending Child Marriage is officially on the global agenda   because as part of the Sustainable Development Goal which aims to achieve gender equality, and empower all women and girls, the target is to eliminate all harmful practices such as child, early and forced marriage”. He earlier recalled, “CHILDLINE is always there for vulnerable children 24 hours of the day, 365 days of the year. A phone number,1098  that spells hope for millions of children across India, CHILDLINE is India's first 24-hour, free, emergency phone service for children in need of aid and assistance.Childline works for the protection of the rights of all children in general. But its special focus is on all children in need of care and protection, especially the more vulnerable sections, which include: children affected by child marriages, runaway children, Street children, Child labourers, Children affected by physical sexual, emotional abuse in family, schools or institutions., Children who need emotional support and guidance, Victims of child trafficking, Children abandoned by parents or guardians and Missing children, Children who are victims of substance abuse,Differently-abled children and for children facing crisis due to risky situations”. On rescuing the child the Child line counselor sits with the child and builds favorable relationship as initial part of the counseling process and making need assessment of the child, and sends his note to CWC for the follow up. The childline service covers rescues the children those need care and protection and produce them before Child Welfare Committee for taking suitable remedy and Child Welfare committee decides the follow up based on the ‘best interest’ of the children in improving knowledge by providing formal and vocational education for economic sustainability, self-realization and actualization by counseling through children service providers of the Government and approved Non-Government Organizations. -Govin