Rayagada,(Badal Tah) : Last Saturday a twelve year girl studying in Class-VI was produced before Child Welfare Committee(CWC), Rayagada by Anganwadi Worker(AWW) and ASHA. It is alleged that the minor girl Mamina Wandalaka(diguised name) of Kalyan Singhpur block having love affairs with a minor boy named Bangru Bidika(name disguised) from in Rayagada block got pregnant. According to the ASHA and AWW Mamina is in carrying stage for six months. After the family members of the girl came to know about the pregnancy, she was left at lurch by them at the house of the boy. But the AWW & ASHA of boy’s village were quick to produce both girl & the boy before CWC.
According to CWC Chairperson Bidulata Huika, both boy and the girl were produced before the Committee with their guardians. As the girl’s mother did not want to take her daughter home, she had been sent to the local Short Stay home. CWC in its joint sitting will pass relevant orders as per Juvenile Justice(Care & Protection of Children) Act, said Huika.
“At least, for past six to eight months Rayagada district has become a hub of minor unwed mothers & child marriages. During last November, the dalit mother of JK Pur, who sold her nine days baby due to abject poverty, got married when she was minor. There are scores of unwed minor mothers in Rayagada either married with parental/community consent or out of illicit relationship. There are also a few illegal adoption cases violating rules of law. Tarbel-II-Bhulusunda case in Gunupur block is a stark example. Though many higher authorities like Medical Officers, Offices of Child Development Project Officer(CDPO)-cum-Child Marriage Protection Officer(CMPO), District Child Protection Officer(DCPO), CWC & Office of the Collector may be involved and accountable in such illegal marriage, adoption and sale, no action has been taken against anyone except dismissing an AWW from Tarbel-II village, who is in the lowest rung of the govt’s departmental hierarchy. This is really unfortunate”, said Rasmi Ranjan Dora, a senior social activist of the district.
Rayagada district has received awards for preventing & containing child marriage in the past; but now it has brought shame to the district.Many locals raise a benefit of doubt about genuinity of such award and express that concted figures might have been presented to receive such accolade. It is also disheartening & precarious that mostly ST SC minor girls have become mothers because of sheer ignorance. CDPOs, who are also Child Marriage Protection Officers, hardly take up awareness in campaign mode though there are financial provisions to contain child marriage, child sale, illegal child adoption. Only few cases are reported; but many cases go unreported & culprits scot free. Hoardings are put in many villages depicting child marriage free villages; but alas ! behold the horrible situation. Mapping of all such cases will certainly expose the health condition & safety of both minor mothers and the new born babies. Still births & mortalities can’t be negated. If not checked, it will lead to catastrophe.
An investigative study of this scandalous chapter reveals the most unfortunate situation in Gunupur block, where maximum number of 19 minor girls are now having a child each. Similarly, Rayagada sadar block is in second position, where 16 minor girls have become mothers. Gudari block has 9, Padmapur 5, Chandrapur 3, Ramnaguda 2, Kolnara 2, Kashipur 2, Kalyansinghpur 2, Muniguda 1 and in Bisam Cuttack block 1: These minor girls have become a mothers at an early age.
Recently Rasmi Dora, on behalf of Rayagada Society for Fast Justice(SFFJ), has filed a complaint before National Human Rights Commission(NHRC), New Delhi to inquire into several violations made and district administration’s inaction in case of 62 reported cases of minor mothers and a racket of child sale and illegal adoption in Rayagada district. Dora has received a response from NHRC and is optimistic that justice will be meted out and violators taken to task. Bijay Kumar Das, another activist of SFFJ, has demanded a high level inquiry of the past cases to hold culprits accountable and take punitive action against the persons and officials responsible & indifferent for such situation.
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