Safeguarding the children of its operational areas through formation and strengthening of Village Child Protection Committees (VLCPC), is one of the strategies of CYSD. In 2019, around 10 VLCPCs were formed and supported in 10 villages under 2 Gram Panchayats of Kolnara block in Raygada district. These committees have been actively engaged in ensuring child rights and protection in respective villages. While ensuring the rights of children and their protection, two major issues are being taken up by the VLCPCs for community resilient i.e. Child Marriage and Child Labour. During the lockdown owing to the Corona pandemic, the intervention of VLCPC of G. Rengalpadu village in arresting an early marriage case has caught the attention of the local people as well as the Block and District Administration.

G. Rengalpadu is a tribal dominated village situated about 5 kms away from Kolnara GP and the block headquarter of Rayagada. In last week of April, a 19 years boy fled away one girl of 16 years to his home and asked his parents to organise their marriage. His parents also agreed to bind them in marriage. Getting this information, the VLCPC members counselled both the children and their parents to refrain from doing this illicit act. But the boy and girl threatened to commit suicide if their marriage would not happen. So, the VLCPC informed to the ChildLine to handle the case. The officials from the ChildLine tried to counsel both the children and the parents, but failed to persuade. Meanwhile, the VLCPC got to know about the children’s plan to elope elsewhere, so the committee took the issue to the Police. With the intervention of the Police and the Child Marriage Prohibition Officer the children’s marriage plan was stopped. The girl has been sent to CCI for temporary shelter as her parents denied to take her back to home. Also, the CWC has ordered to enrol the girl in a residential school for study after lifting of the lockdown and continue till she completes 18 years, the legal age of marriage.This incident has created a great impact in the locality. The joint efforts of the CYSD and Child Fund India towards formation and strengthening of VLCPC, as an effective mechanism at the community level to arrest child marriage and child labour, have been appreciated and recognised by the District and Block Administration.