Officers given full powers to intervene, take action.

The Kerala government has reacted to the rampant incidence of child marriages across the State with a bid to strengthen Child Protection Units in all districts and trying to empower Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs) in all blocks Statewide.

The Hindu, quoting national census and the State Social Justice Department data, had reported on Friday that thousands of girls under the age of 15 are still being married off across the State.

Official sources said more authority and responsibilities had been given to the Child Protection Units. The CMPOs had been given full powers to intervene and take action in cases of child marriage.

The Union government’s Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS), which works in association with the Social Justice Department, has also allotted funds for a residential training module for CMPOs across the State. “We have given the CMPOs full powers to prevent child marriages. The special training will be a part of empowering them to do their jobs more effectively,” said A.S. Ganesh Kumar, the ICPS’s State programme manager.

Malappuram, which officially logged 1,539 child marriages in the past five years, has the largest number of CMPOs in the State – 29. Thiruvananthapuram has 24 CMPOs; Kollam, 21; Pathanamthitta, 12; Alappuzha, 15; Kottayam, 13; Ernakulam, 23; Thrissur, 23; Palakkad, 21; Kozhikode, 21; Wayanad, 8; Kannur, 21; and Kasaragod, 12.

The CMPOs would be trained under the guidance of the District Child Protection Units. “We are also trying to sensitise the community and society to child protection laws,” said District Child Protection Officer Sameer Machingal. There were several instances of CMPOs having been threatened by family and community members when they had intervened to stop child marriages.

In Malappuram, since none of the child marriages get registered with the panchayat for obvious reasons, the District Child Protection Unit has sought the help of the civic body and community leaders.

Edarikode was the first panchayat to respond proactively to the call against child marriages. Panchayat president Haneefa Thaikadan’s initiative has won him the support of all mahal presidents, secretaries and khateebs who have vowed to prevent under-aged weddings. Nilambur municipal chairman Aryadan Shoukath too has been campaigning against child marriages.