Samadhan secretary Smita Gupta addresses a seminar on abolition of child marriage in Ranchi. Picture by Ashok Karan

Ranchi, Jan. 24: Anti-child marriage campaigns notwithstanding, there are at least three places in Jharkhand ? Giridih, Chatra and some parts of Singhbhum ? where this ?social evil? is prevalent.

This fact was brought forth in a ?media meet? titled Dignity of Daughters: Ending Child Marriage in India organised by NGO Samadhan, where half-a-dozen personalities from the media, both print and electronic, spoke about their experiences and findings on the issue.

Campaigns in the three areas have made no impact and minor children were wedded at tender ages, said speakers and added that socio-economic and cultural factors were behind the marriages. Extreme poverty, physical insecurity of girls, greedy parents and poor contemporary laws were attributed to the cause of the issue.

Significantly, said an expert on the issue, child marriages are prevalent among the poor and the affluent families in the tribal and non-tribal communities.

Other speakers at the meet agreed that an early marriage of a girl is considered to be a ?status symbol? among the Brahmins from Mithila and the Marwaris.

However, the speakers were short of data and said they had ?inconclusive conclusions? as far as child marriages among the tribes in Jharkhand are considered.

In one session, it was pointed out that some parents sell their daughters in the name of marriage ?for petty sums?. Later, these girls are re-sold to brothels. ?Many Jharkhand tribal girls are getting into this trap,? the speaker said.

A representative of the NGO suggested that an ?aggressive campaign against the social evil during the marriage season? would help eliminate the problem. ?If a well-timed campaign is carried out, it can give better results. Hoardings and pamphlets should be used in the campaign,? he opined.

Smita Gupta, the secretary of the NGO, requested the media?s help to campaign against the evil.

?In the present scenario, media has a great impact on forming public opinion. If the media can play a participating role, then a change can happen,? she said.

A representative from local English daily suggested implementing advertisements and pictorial presentations to curb the problem.

?Awareness ads during the K-serial (Kuynki Saas ..., Kahani Ghar ? and so on) commercial breaks could help address the issue as child marriages are practised in urban areas also. For rural areas, radio campaigning could prove to be very effective,? he suggested.