Ten child marriages to be held in Kerala's Malappuram district during summer this year, were blocked by Childline volunteers last week.
A report by Abdul Latheef Naha for The Hindu, states that a call from one of the children to Childline’s toll-free number — 1098, led to volunteers finding the children, and rescuing them.
Malappuram district Childline Coordinator Anwar Karakkadan told The News Minute that one of the girls called the number and requested them to cancel her marriage which was arranged to be held during the upcoming summer vacations.
He said that the school girl informed Childline that she wanted to continue her studies.
“She also said that she would die if this marriage was conducted. Among the 10 girls, two were 15 years old, while the others were 16," he added.
After a call from the first girl, the childline officers informed the Karuvarakundu Panchayat representatives and conducted an investigation, which found that almost 10 such marriages were scheduled for the month of April and May.
Many of the marriages were fixed months ago. According to reports, all 10 girls were from the Muslim community.
The Hindu report also adds that all the families were from a poor background and they were worried about expenses for their daughters’ marriage if it was held in the future.
The marriages were cancelled by the respective ward member of the Panchayat and Child marriage Prevention Officer.
Later, the parents along with the girls were counselled.