RANCHI: In a courageous act, 17-year-old Chhaya Kumari filed a complaint against her parents with the district administration to stop her marriage scheduled on June 6.
The district administration also felicitated Chhaya for her act and assured her to connect her family with public welfare schemes so that she can continue with her studies.
Whereas, Kailash Satyarthi Children Foundation (KSCF) that is quite active in the region, has also announced to bear entire expenses of her education.
“Chhaya came to me about a week ago with a request to stop her marriage as she is a minor and wants to continue her studies. We talked to her parents, and after few counseling sessions, we were able to convince them to postpone their daughter’s marriage for another few years,” said Domchanch block development officer (BDO) Sunil Kumar Sinha.
Chhaya’s parents also promised that they will allow her to study for as long as she wants, he added. The district administration, in association with KSCF, felicitated her for her courage which is rare among girls in this region.
“She has set an example for others and has given a message to people that minors must oppose child marriage as it is a crime in this country,” said the BDO.
“I was shocked to know that my parents had fixed my marriage on June 6 against my will. First, I tried to convince them to postpone the marriage as I am a minor but they didn’t listen. Finally, I decided to approach the district administration and wrote to the BDO, who later visited my house and convinced my parents that child marriage is a crime in this society,” said Kumari.
She wants to study further and become a teacher in future, she added.
Programme manager, KSCF Govind Khanal informed that their organisation has been working in the region regularly to make children aware against child marriage.
“KSCF will be bearing expenses of Chhaya’s education,” said Khanal.
