Kolkata Mary Ward Social centre | Only in Darkness one can see the stars.

Only in Darkness one can see the stars.

May 29, 2017

Presence of mind saved a life….

One call is all it took to save Riya (name changed) all of 16 years form early marriage.

The phone rang at Kolkata Mary Ward Social Centre, while we all were at work. The voice from the other end gave us a brief information about a 16 year old girl being married to a 38 year old man in Itkhola Gram Panchayat area, in Canning. Further conversation with the unidentified caller revealed that the girl and the groom hailed from the same village. The KMWSC staff asked for further details about the child; where she belonged to, the nearest landmark of her home and relevant details.

Field staffs were immediately informed, and they coordinated with the Canning Childline and also the Women’s Police Station. The project staff reached the venue along with the team. Their timely intervention saved the girl from child marriage. The team ensured that Riya will not be married till she turns 18 and the team took that in writing.

Kudos to the Sensitization on Anti Human Trafficking team whose timely intervention stopped a child marriage.