Heed activists warning that a deep-rooted network continues to exploit young tribal girls, turning their poverty into illegal profit
The minor girl with her daughter. PIC/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
In Wada, Palghar, a case involving a 16-year-old girl from the Katkari tribe has revealed a disturbing child marriage and trafficking racket that preys on impoverished tribal families. Married at 14 for Rs 50,000, the girl was forcibly trafficked as a ‘wife’ and later kicked out by her husband and in-laws after giving birth to a daughter. Her husband and a local accused of brokering the deal were arrested by Wada police following intervention by activists, who ensured an FIR under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and anti-trafficking laws was registered against six individuals.
Two more girls from the same village had allegedly been sold earlier. Poverty, lack of education, and hunger make these girls easy targets for such trafficking. Ground-level officials, such as gram sevaks, police patils, anganwadi, ASHA workers, and PESA mobilisers, must be investigated for failing to prevent breaches of the Child Marriage Prohibition Act, 2006.
Heed activists warning that a deep-rooted network continues to exploit young tribal girls, turning their poverty into illegal profit. We need to stamp out the ecosystem that helps this evil. From family, to facilitators and enablers, each one must be identified and face action. Where do the breaches occur? What are the loopholes that allow these individuals to escape the police net? Where exactly do they slip through and how. Spread the dragnet as far as possible so that the malaise is addressed by its roots and prised out. Meanwhile, concurrently, mindsets need to change, too. That is the preventive aspect.
While this is about tribal girls, some of these attitudes are prevalent in urban scenarios, too, maybe with a few tweaks. Child marriage is abhorrent, evil, and illegal. We need a concerted, visionary effort to obliterate it.
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