CWC struggles to find shelter for pregnant minor

Nitish Sharma

Tribune News Service

Ambala, November 17

The Child Welfare Committee, Ambala, is struggling to find a shelter for a four-month pregnant minor girl (16) as no Child Care Institution in neighbouring districts have given the consent to keep her.

Sources said the girl had eloped with a boy in April and when she was found, she had said that they were married and doesn’t want to go back with her father. She said her stepmother’s behavior towards her was not good. She also claimed that her stepmother had taken money from the boy and encouraged her to elope with him.

The boy (in 20s) was arrested on the complaint of her father and was sent to jail. The girl’s family said boy belonged to Bihar. The girl had refused to abort the child and said that she would marry the same person later.

Rekha Sharma, member of the CWC, said: “After the girl refused to abort the child, she was sent to a Child Care Institution in Yamunanagar. When the institution found her to be pregnant, they sent her back to Ambala. The CWC then handed over the custody of the minor to her aunt (mother’s sister), but after repeated objections raised by her father that led to quarrels, her aunt had surrendered the girl’s custody back to the CWC last week.”

“In the absence of a CCI in Ambala for girls, she was sent to one-stop centre Karnal for short term. No CCI in the neighbouring districts — Panchkula, Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar and Karnal — have given consent to keep the girl. She has now agreed to go back with her father but on a condition that she will not be pressurised to abort the child and forced to marry someone else. However, the father hasn’t been appearing before the CWC,” she added.

Rekha Sharma said: “Following directions of the headquarters (women and child development department), we have written to the CCIs of the neighbouring districts in this regard, but haven’t received any response. The girl can’t be kept at the one-stop centre for long and there was a need for making an arrangement for her as soon as possible as the situation has been affecting her mental health. We hope to find a shelter for her soon.”