Ballia , A 16-year-old girl from eastern Uttar Pradesh picked up the phone and made the most important call of her life, defying her parents who had decided for her a life far away in Saudi Arabia with a 25-year-old man.
Potsayan who promptly set up a committee after Gudiya’s call admitted that her call spurred the authorities to action, bringing together the district Department of Women and Child Development, the police and a local child-protection organisation. With support from the Suremanpur police, the team reached the village, verified the complaint and intervened. For Azhar Ali, director of Navbharti Nari Vikas Samiti, the incident underlined the importance of making children aware of their rights and the avenues available to seek help.
The organisation is an NGO partner of Just Rights for Children , a civil society network of more than 300 NGOs working on child protection.
The teenager, Gudiya , took the step last week after learning that her family had arranged her marriage in a village in Bairia area of Ballia district in UP. During the intervention, officials spoke to her father, who cited the family’s difficult financial circumstances and his disability in a feeble bid to justify the illegal move to marry off his underage daughter. the groom’s family was initially reluctant While her parents agreed to cancel the wedding after being informed that child marriage was a punishable offence. The groom’s family subsequently agreed to call off the wedding.
“This case shows how making children aware of their rights and informing them about where they can seek help can make a real difference in preventing child marriage,” Ali added.
