A campaign was launched to create public awareness on Prohibition of Child Marriages Act and its provision in Mandya, Mysuru and surrounding regions on Sunday.
The drive comes in the wake of increase in complaints of child marriages during the pandemic and hence, the district administration in Mandya and Mysuru in association with the Zilla Panchayats of the two districts and Department of Women and Child Welfare conducted the drive.
In Mysuru, the awareness campaign was inaugurated by Senior Civil Judge and Devaraj Bhute who is also the Member Secretary of the District Legal Services Authority. He said that public awareness on the provisions of the Act was necessary to curb such practices. He also launched the Video-On-Wheels which will create awareness of the evils of child marriage besides throwing light on the provisions of the Act in the rural hinterland.
He said values imbibed by a person during childhood helps mould one’s personality and hence education was imperative. But unfortunately many children, due to circumstances in life, are forced to work thus creating the problem of child labour while girls are married off by their parents resulting in child marriages. It is to prevent such negative developments in society that the Government has made education compulsory, said Mr. Devaraj Bhute.
Additional DC B.S. Manjunathswamy said there was an increase in the number of child marriage cases during the pandemic and said that preventing it was a social responsibility involving everyone and should not be confined only to officials or the department.
In Mandya, the campaign was launched by Principal District and Sessions Judge S.B.. Vastramath and he said that preventing child marriages requires public cooperation. Welcoming the initiative to create greater public awareness of the evils of child marriage in rural hinterland, said Mr. Vastramath.
He appreciated the authorities for adopting four villages in each hobli to carry out a sustained campaign for greater effectiveness. Mr.Vastramath said though Government has enacted various laws to prevent child marriages it also calls for greater public cooperation and creating awareness was a step in the right direction.
He said as many as 62 child marriages were prevented in the district since the last few months and said not only was child marriage a social evil but it led to host of other problems.
The organisers said as per a survey Karnataka reported a high number of child marriages during the pandemic. However, as many as 2,072 child marriages were prevented by the authorities during the same period.
