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KRISHNAGIRI: Social activists and officials demanded proper Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in Tamil Nadu to deal with child marriage cases and victims. They claimed a draft SOP framed a few years ago is yet to be released by the social welfare department and also pressed for effective coordination of multiple stakeholder departments in such sensitive cases.
The demand arises from the ordeal of a Pennagaram-based 16-year-old married girl with 17 weeks of pregnancy who had visited the Denkanikottai government hospital on Saturday morning for an Accident Register entry and scanning.
A hospital staff reportedly asked the girl to meet a police officer at the police outpost on the hospital campus, and the latter allegedly asked the girl to visit Denkanikottai All-Women's Police Station (APWS) where the girl, her husband and an Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) were quizzed by several cops as they were made to wait. The couple allegedly faced a torrent of abuse from cops here.
They were sent back by Saturday evening after TNIE raised the issue with Superintendent of Police, Krishnagiri, P Thangadurai.
A health department official from Kelamangalam block told TNIE, "The girl, Swetha (name changed), is a Class 9 dropout from Pennagaram in Dharmapuri district. She was married off five months ago to a 28-year-old man in Bettamugilalam panchayat. He is an employee of a private company in Hosur. Her pregnancy was detected at the health sub-centres and Unichetti Primary Health Centre in September and October. Though she was advised to visit the Denkanikottai government hospital, the family didn't comply. However, the health department personnel traced them before Deepavali and reminded them to visit the GH. Thereupon, ASHA Anjamma, the pregnant girl and her husband reached the hospital on Saturday. After scanning, the trio were asked by the GH staff to visit the cops at the outpost where they were asked to go to the Denkanikottai APWS around 12.30 pm.
After filing the complaint, they were sent from the police station around 4 pm. The cops verbally abused the victim and her husband and even threatened to book a case against Anjamma for supporting child marriage, the official said, adding, "It was in June this year that another ASHA worker submitted a petition to Krishnagiri Collector C Dinesh Kumar that the worker and another child marriage victim were harassed by the same Denkanikottai AWPS inspector and police personnel."
When TNIE informed SP Thangadurai, he assured to look into the matter. Collector Dinesh Kumar also assured an inquiry.
A Devaneyan, a child rights activist and director of Thozhamai, an NGO, told TNIE, "There is no proper SOP to handle child marriage case as well as there is a lack of coordination between police, social welfare department, health department and school education department in child marriage cases. Also a juvenile should not be brought to the police station in the name of enquiry only to face harassment. The dignity of a child should be protected as per the Juvenile Justice Act. The police station where the juvenile is brought should be child-friendly."
A team of experts from line departments, lawyers and activists had drafted the SOP for effective implementation of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act by the social welfare department. The work in this regard was completed in 2022, but it's yet to be released. A new SOP should be framed otherwise, he added.
District Social Welfare Officer R Sakthi Subashini told TNIE that her department staff who were in the police station at the time for another complaint did not inform her about the issue.
The child can be taken to hospital. Thereafter, she can be quizzed at the One-Stop Centre or her residence or by the child welfare committee but not at the police station, she added.
Denkanikottai GH, Chief Medical Officer, Dr Girija said "I would inquire into the issue. The ASHA should have immediately informed the medical officer at the hospital when they were asked to approach the outpost police.
"We are properly informing the authorities concerned about proper POCSO cases, but for the cases like child marriage with POCSO there is a lack of proper guidelines."
The girl was admitted to the Denkanikottai GH on Monday morning, said health department sources.
Social Welfare Department Director MS Sangeetha told TNIE that she would check the details of the draft SOP framed earlier.
The police should not harass any child marriage victim, she added.
Meanwhile, a case under sections of the Prohibition of Child Marriage act and the POCSO Act was filed at the Denkanikottai AWPS against the girl's husband on Saturday night.
State-level child protection officials did not respond to calls and messages as TNIE tried to contact them.
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