The Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and police today rescued a 17-year-old girl, who was about to married off, from Patana village of Katakia panchayat.
"The rescued girl was restored with her parents after taking an undertaking from them that they would not marry her off till she attends the marriageable age," said Pradeep Kumar Patnaik, a member of the CWC.
The CWC has also ordered the district child protection officer to monitor the case and report to the CWC every three months about the marital status of the rescued girl, who is 17 years and a month old as per her school records.
The girl's parents were counselled and the local panchayat representatives assured the CWC that they would not allow any underage marriages henceforth.
Patnaik said reports of child marriages are rampant in rural areas many parents do not know that marrying off a daughter before 18 years is illegal.
