By Anuksha Dey
Sparsha Trust, a 16-year-old NGO which started out as a shelter for five children in a small shed near the Bangalore airport, has stopped 174 child marriages between April 2020 and January 2021. The organisation, which has received the Best NGO award from the state government of Karnataka on two occasions, works to make life better for children at the risk of being forced into child marriage and child labour, besides dropping out of schools. The voluntary group provides them with protection, care and opportunities for development.
Intervening to stop child marriage
Sparsha began its efforts to contain child marriages in 2015 when the organisation aligned with the Childline India Foundation and initiated the 1098 helpline number in the Bangalore Rural District with the help of the central and state government. In 2019, another child helpline centre in Kolar.
Sparsha has its team of grassroots level workers in Kolar and Bangalore rural headed by Manju MJ. The team conducts interventions to stop child marriages and save the children when an underage marriage is reported on the helpline number. Manju informed us that they have separate sets of protocols, depending on the timing of the marriage.
The team carries out intense fact-finding reports when a case is reported after the marriage. They collect the children’s age proof, wedding photographs, invitation cards, and other evidence that the wedding indeed took place. They also talk to the victim of child marriage before filing cases under the Child Marriage Act and the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences Act (POCSO).
For marriages scheduled for the future, the team takes the results of their fact-finding reports to the local Child Marriage Prohibition Officer who rescues the child. In extreme cases, the Child Welfare Committee might separate the child from the family forcing the minor into marriage.
When child marriages are reported on the day they are scheduled, the team must act fast with the Child Welfare Committee and the Juvenile Protection committee to intervene and stop the marriage ceremony. FIRs are also lodged against anyone who attends the wedding. “Most cases are reported by neighbours or friends, and sometimes the child calls up the helpline,” says Manju.
Child marriage in rural Bangalore and Kolar
According to the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, any marriage where the groom is less than 21 years and the bride is less than 18 years of age is considered a child marriage and may be declared null and void by the court. The act also says that sexual intercourse with a child bride is a criminal offence. The parents of the children involved in the marriage too may be punished for aiding the illegal union.
However, child marriage continues to be a problem in Karnataka. “In rural Bangalore, children between the ages of 15 and 17 years are at the risk of being forced into child marriage,” informs Manju. “In Kolar, the children are sometimes just 14. Students who perform badly in school or are seen to be in relationships are at higher risk of child marriages.” The parents use such behavior as an excuse to marry them off at an early age.
According to Manju, the situation only became worse during the pandemic with children spending more time at home. Without regular classes, the parents see little reason to hold off their marriages. Manju points out that sometimes parents notice children interacting with the opposite gender during online classes and decide to marry them away.
Challenges of working to stop child marriages
The challenges faced by Manju and his team are many. Anonymous callers who are unwilling to reveal their address and phone numbers, political complications, and protests from the community are just some of the issues Sparsha faces. The community mindset which sees the interaction between children of opposite genders and child marriage as the salvation, also makes it difficult for the team to justify their interventions. “Sometimes, the community opposes the intervention and asks us not to disrupt the ceremony,” says Manju. “But we convince them that it is not us opposing the marriage but the law that deems it illegal.”
Other initiatives by Sparsha
Sparsha has been working since 2005, when its founder Gopinath R registered it as an NGO with a group of college friends. The organisation was started to ensure that every child gets an opportunity to live a normal childhood by ensuring that every minor stays in school. Gopinath who himself worked as a bonded labourer, wanted to create an organisation that emancipates child labourers and touches the lives of children. However, the NGO touched the lives of many as it expanded.
Currently, Sparsha runs two shelters for the urban homeless in Bengaluru, two childline centres in Karnataka, 10 mobile creches for children of construction workers, and Nisarga Grama, a residential child shelter that houses over 300 children. The NGO also works with the American India Foundation, Smile Foundation and Quest foundation to launch its initiative Samudaya Mitra (a friend for the community). This initiative provides career-oriented courses to school and college dropouts and helps over 400 youths every year.
In 2018, Sparsha also took the responsibility of developing 10 Anganwadi centres (rural government-run child care centres). The NGO has drastically improved the infrastructure, childcare and educational facilities as well as community involvement in these centres. It is on course to develop 170 more Anganwadi centres on this model. The organisation is also engaged in building Makara Dhama, a separate residential shelter for boys.
If you would like to be part of their noble cause, you can contact them here.
