The district level task force committee meeting of “Nirbhaya Kadhee” and “Mo Gelha Jheea” was held in virtual mode through video conferencing here on Friday afternoon in which the Ganjam district Collector Vijaya Amruta Kulange presided.
Kulange in his address said that, daughter is neither a dangerous entity nor a liability to the family, but she is the most valuable asse. The birth list of all the female children are already available with the Anganwadi workers. Information will be collected from them through the District Social Welfare Officer for induction in the list for future use, he added.
The district administration has decided to focus on far flung remote and rural areas first in order to check and prevent the child marriage menace. In the process, the administration has also decided to observe “Oath Child Marriage Week," he added.
All information about the female child between the age group of 14 years and 18 years who leave education midway will be maintained in a database. As of now, 1,032 villages of Ganjam district have already been declared “Child marriage-free village” which is quite encouraging, Kulange pointed out.
The district administration would give more emphasis on the good health of the female children and will sensitize them that in event any of their parents compels them to marry before 18 years against their will, they can immediately inform the district administration for prompt and appropriate action to prevent the marriage, he said.
Notably, the district administration has clearly stated that each family or parent having a girl child will have to give a declaration or an undertaking in writing to the effect that they will not marry off their daughter below the age of 18 years. Similarly, the priests who perform wedding ceremony also will have to give an undertaking or declaration to the effect that they will not cooperate with those parents who go for underage marriage.
The Ganjam Collector has urged the Anganwadi Workers and ASHAs to sensitize the parents of female child to celebrate the birth day of their daughters as a token of their love and good will towards them.
