An awareness campaign on child marriage was organised jointly by Erode Arts and Science College and Service Unit for Development Activities in Rural (SUDAR), a social welfare organisation, at Kongadai, a hill village in the Bargur hills, here on Friday (October 23).

The camp highlighted the provisions of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, the consequences of child marriage and the legal action that could be initiated against those involved.

The participants were informed that a marriage involving a girl below 18 years of age or a boy below 21 years is considered child marriage under the law. Those who solemnise, arrange or promote child marriages, as well as those legally bound to prevent them but fail to do so, are liable for action. The punishment could extend to two years of rigorous imprisonment, a fine of up to ₹1 lakh, or both.

The camp stressed that child marriage affects children’s education, health and future and deprives them of their rights. Participants were urged to join hands with the government to create a society free of child marriage.

Earlier, a door-to-door field survey was conducted in the village to identify the reasons for child marriage. K. Saravanan, Head of the Department of English, Panneerselvam, Head of the Department of Tamil, Balachandara Mohan, National Service Scheme programme officer, and Balasankar, National Cadet Corps officer, of Erode Arts and Science College, and S.C. Nataraj, director of SUDAR, spoke at the programme.

A. Suganya, Assistant Professor in the Department of English at Erode Arts and Science College, and Pavithra, coordinator of SUDAR, made arrangements for the camp.