Educational institutions should play greater role in curbing child marriage, workshop held in Tezpur

CORRESPONDENT

TEZPUR: The Centre for Inclusive Development, Tezpur University on Monday organized a one-day workshop on “Child Marriage: A Curse on the Health and Wellbeing of Victims” in consonance with the United Nations set Sustainable Development Goal No. 3, i.e., “Good Health and Wellbeing”.

Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, Managing Trustee of ‘Sneha Bandhan’, Guwahati, graced the occasion as the chief guest. Dr. Nina Athale, an eminent Child Protection Consultant, Mumbai, Dr. Bhuban C. Barooah, Dean, Royal School of Law and Administration, Royal Global University, Guwahati and Dr. Siddeswara Linganna, Faculty, Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi Regional Institute of Mental Health, Tezpur participated as resource persons at the workshop.

Prof. Shambhu Nath Singh, Vice Chancellor, Tezpur University while inaugurating the workshop highlighted the laws that make child marriage a punishable offence. “We have laws like “Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, and the Prohibition of Child Marriage (POCM) Act, 2006, however, despite these laws it is unfortunate that child marriage has remained social menace for the society,” Prof. Singh said. “Through this workshop, we hope to build momentum for action and advocacy to fight against the practice of child marriage”, he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma called the practice of child marriage a curse and urged upon all stakeholders to adopt a hands-on approach to fight against this menace. “Child marriage not only affects the health and wellbeing of a girl, but it (the marriage) leaves a deep psychological and emotional trauma on the victims”, Sarma said.

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