“Rise In Child Marriage Reason For High POCSO Cases In TN”, Says DMK Min For Social Welfare Geetha Jeevan

The Tamil Nadu government has mandated the appointment of only female security guards at all government and NGO-run children’s homes and women’s hostels following the sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl by a male guard at a state-run shelter home in Tambaram.

The incident occurred early morning on 8 June 2025 when the accused watchman, Mathew, allegedly assaulted the new resident while other staff members were absent. The victim, who had joined the facility just five days earlier, sustained leg injuries and underwent successful surgery at Rajiv Gandhi Government Hospital.

Social Welfare Minister Geetha Jeevan confirmed the arrest of the accused guard based on CCTV evidence from the facility’s eight cameras. “The Chief Minister has ordered strict action in all cases of violence against women and children,” Jeevan stated during a press conference while appealing to the media to protect the survivor’s identity after her mother reported distress over personal details circulating on YouTube.

In a significant policy shift, the department has initiated criminal proceedings against the arrested guard. They have also ordered the replacement of all male guards with female security personnel and launched an audit of safety protocols across childcare institutions

The assault revealed alarming gaps in institutional safeguards:

  • The warden was on unauthorized leave during the incident
  • Despite 130 residents, only a cook was present overnight
  • Previous complaints against staff were nonexistent, with children describing the accused as “fatherly

“This was a trusted employee with 21 years of service,” admitted Jeevan. “That such an incident occurred with a new child makes us question whom to trust.”

The government announced additional measures such as the installation of more CCTV cameras, mandatory female staff presence during nights, strengthening of school complaint mechanisms like ‘Student’s Mind’ boxes, and enhanced monitoring of child helpline 1098.

POCSO & Increase In Child Marriages – What Connection?

The minister also disclosed concerning trends in child welfare, revealing that 48% of rising POCSO cases stem from teenage love affairs leading to underage marriages. When asked if the percentage of child marriages had increased in the state, Jeevan said, “In many instances, we have mentioned that in the case of child marriages, especially marriages where they themselves come forward to marry before 18, all these are registered under child marriage and also under the POCSO Act. Therefore, more than half of the increase in POCSO Act cases is due to child marriages where they themselves come forward to marry due to their love affairs, which is 48%. 48% is due to love affairs/love marriages. That is a reason for the increase in POCSO Act cases. Child marriage is a reason for that and also teenage pregnancy. The main reason for all these three – 48% – is love marriage. We are constantly saying that marriage should happen after completing 18 years.”

Now this is a problematic figure. The number of reported child marriages in Tamil Nadu rose sharply by 55.6% between 2023 and 2024. In 2023, there were 1,054 child marriages. In just 11 months of 2024 (Jan–Nov), the number increased to 1,640. RTI data from the Directorate of Social Welfare reveals that Tamil Nadu witnessed a 45% rise in child marriage cases in 2020 compared to 2019.

So despite labelling themselves as Dravidian Model or progressive model, the state still is regressive when it comes to such social evils.

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