Class IX girl halts marriage to continue with her studies

BALURGHAT: At a time when people are busy celebrating Durga Puja, a Class IX student of South Dinajpur district’s Hili block halted her own marriage sending home the strong message of the vices of child marriage.

The girl was felicitated by the district administrative and police top brass on Thursday evening at the inauguration function of a reputed Durga Puja club of the same block. The marriage of the minor girl was fixed in September as per the wishes of her mother. Initially she requested her mother, who is a bidi-maker, that she was not ready for the marriage and that she wanted to continue with her studies. As her mother was adamant, the girl, finding no other options left, contacted her school authorities to stop the marriage. Later the headmaster of the school with the help of local administration and police finally was able to convince the girl’s mother to stop the marriage.

“We are very poor. My mother is a bidi labourer and she earns about Rs 300 a week to run our family. She also draws Rs 500 per month (Lakshmi Bhandar) as financial assistance from the state government. My father works in the other states as a migrant worker but he doesn’t contribute anything to the family. My mother fixed my marriage in September. Fortunately, the marriage was stopped with the intervention of the headmaster of our school, police and the local administration. I am happy that I will continue my education,” she said while speaking to Millennium Post. Her mother assured that she will not commit the same mistake in the future. “It was a mistake to fix her marriage against her will but I had nothing to do. My trifle income is not enough for my livelihood,” her mother said. At present the girl is staying at her maternal uncle’s house due to a financial crisis. The girl has two younger sisters who also study in schools.

The girl appealed to the administration to support them financially so that their family can run smoothly.

Bijin Krishna, District Magistrate who felicitated her, said: “The girl is a role model representing the girls like her who fight for their existence against all odds. We will surely help her so that she can continue her study uninterrupted.”