Coimbatore : Even as many assumptions surround child marriage with most finding the blame on the side of the parents, a recent programme jointly organised by Rathinavani 90.8 Community Radio (CR), run by the Rathinam Group of Institutions and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), in Coimbatore has revealed that social media and over exposure to explicit content at a young age is creating perpetrators among children.
Coimbatore : Even as many assumptions surround child marriage with most finding the blame on the side of the parents, a recent programme jointly organised by Rathinavani 90.8 Community Radio (CR), run by the Rathinam Group of Institutions and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), in Coimbatore has revealed that social media and over exposure to explicit content at a young age is creating perpetrators among children.
With instances of young boys and girls eloping on the rise according to sources, lack of awareness from the part of the parents is also contributing to more cases of adolescent children eloping to get married, say activists.
The programme was aimed at addressing issues related to child marriage, adolescent children and women. Rathinavani was one among the 60 CRs all across the county selected by the Community Radio Association to be a part of the programme which is sponsored by UNICEF.
During the programme, the organisers involved in interacting with experts and parents and have found out that 50 per cent of child marriages are instigated by social media and soap operas in televisions.
According to one of the listeners Farooq Basha, the children are largely influenced by uncensored visuals in televisions that could easily affect their thought process. “Even a small act could make a big impact in adolescent children and it is advised that the parents keep such things away from children,” he said.
Some of the school teachers also felt that social media played a big role in creating such an environment in school, where, adolescent relationships lead to untoward incidents even at school level.
The organisers on the other had played the Narrowcasts they had done to parents to make them aware of such issues including child labour. In one of the Narrowcasts experts from related fields speak about after effects of the concerned issue.
L. Vijayakumar, Project Director of National Child Labour Project was one of the experts who advised parents against child labour. The event was held at an Anganvadi in Ukkadam.
At the end of the session, one of the parents was also asked to mock call 1098, in order to do the same during child emergencies.
Followed by such awareness campaigns titled Chutties Express, the CR stations would make regular radio based programmes until the end of March on these issues where local barriers, motivators and best practices are to be discussed and amplify positive deviants.
More 1500 people are to be reached through Rathinavani 90.8 CR alone. Fresh broadcasts will be made in Rathinavani on Wednesday at 9 am and 4 p.m. The programmes would be repeated on Friday and Sunday at the same timing.