Child marriages: Is it increasing in Tamil Nadu?

According to the latest government statistics, 34,497 young women across Tamil Nadu have become pregnant before the age of 18 in the last three years. In particular, the shocking information that more than 3,000 girls have become pregnant in the last 5 years alone in Madurai district has come as a shock.
The main reason for this is that child marriages are still taking place without any restrictions in both urban and rural areas. These statistics indicate that the number of girls having children in Tamil Nadu has been increasing since 2014. This has revealed a social environment where child marriages are widely practiced without any restrictions. Social activists are also concerned that it seriously affects the physical and mental well-being of girls and hinders their higher education.
According to the law, if a girl under the age of 18 is married, the person and the person who arranges the marriage can be imprisoned for up to two years and fined up to Rs 1 lakh. But in practice, child activists allege that this law is not strictly enforced in many places.
In most places, cases are not registered against those involved in child marriage. It is said that they only send the girls home after obtaining a written commitment from their parents.
The main reason for such child births and child marriages is the attempt to impose outdated customs such as culture and tradition on the next generation. In many cases, it is even educated graduates who are seen engaging in illegal activities. It is true that only proper education and awareness can be the solution to prevent such activities.
But in our country, no matter how much awareness is created, unless strict legal measures such as arrest, court action, and imprisonment are taken to prevent illegal activities, the chances of them changing their ways are very low. Campaigns are being carried out saying that drinking alcohol is harmful to the body, smoking causes cancer & kills. However, the number of people who use it has not decreased, and their sales have not decreased. On the contrary, it is increasing.
Awareness campaigns are necessary; at the same time, there should be no letup in the law doing its duty properly. For example, until a few years ago, female infanticide was common in Dharmapuri district and Usilampatti area. Due to awareness and strict legal action, infanticide has now almost disappeared.
If the same practice is followed here too, child marriages, girl child births, etc. can be avoided. For this, the participation of society, especially parents, is also very important!