Police Report: On Friday, a 15-year-old girl was rescued from forced child marriage by police officers of the Nacharam Police. The incident happened in Mallapur.

The 15-year-old teenager was supposed to take her class 10 exams on Friday.

Officials said that the class 10 student was enrolled in a government-owned school in Mallapur, her wedding was set at 11 AM and was about to marry her 21-year-old relative who is a driver in Yadagirigutta.

The police said, “The marriage was supposed to be held at a committee hall in KL Reddy Nagar under Nacharam police limits. The bride was rescued and the parents were counseled.”

Achyuta Rao an NGO from the Balala Hakkula Sangham said, “The girl, a bright student, was reluctant to get married. She had called the child helpline before the marriage and was thus rescued. The officials obtained her age proof certificate from the school. We are demanding the school to conduct a fresh exam for her, or else she will lose one year.”

This is the 11th child marriage that has been prevented by the NGO in 2019 alone. Earlier this week, a 14-year-old girl was rescued by the NGO from forced child marriage in Kalapathar.

The Rachakonda Police has prevented 75 child marriages in their area alone in the past 2 years, the police stopped 47 in 2018 alone.

The police rescued 28 minors who were between the ages of 15 and 17 in the district of Yadadri alone.

A senior police officer said that the Rachakonda Police are trying to identify the families of those girls who appeared in the Class 10 exams. The police are also conducting program awareness in villages that are in their area.

A senior police officer said, “Minor girls studying in Class 10 are vulnerable to child marriages. We are identifying such families and counseling them as such marriages usually go unreported.”

According to the UNICEF, marriage before the age of 18 is a fundamental violation of Human Rights. Child marriage usually results in early pregnancy and social isolation that makes her stop from going to school, limits or sometimes even stops the opportunities for her better career and vocational advancement that can sometimes place her at an increased risk of being a part of domestic violence.