Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Mar 26: It has been reported that when schools were not being run on account of covid19 pandemic in the years 2020 and 2021, some districts in Karnataka recorded an abrupt increase in the number of child marriages.

Providing information in response to query raised by the deputy leader of the opposition in the council, minister for women and child welfare department, Halappa Achar, said that 296 child marriage cases were reported in the state in 2020-21. This figure stood at 140 the previous year whereas only 119 cases were recorded in 2018-19. The child marriage cases are going up with each passing year.

The minister also revealed that as per the National Crime Records Bureau, Karnataka is at the top of the list of states that have reported child marriage cases as it reported 184 cases in 2020. The minister attributed this phenomenon to poverty, illiteracy, superstitions, lack of information about child marriage laws, negligence towards educating the girls, elder family members sticking to established traditions etc.

However, executive director of Child Rights Trust, Vasudeva Sharma N V, said that the actual number of child marriages would have been, much more. He said that the correct figure of the child marriage can be obtained if the age of the pregnant women are properly recorded in the Anganwadi centres as many Anganwadi workers do not record their actual ages. He also suggests keeping a close watch on the girls cutting short their education after high school and PU college levels to put brakes on child marriages.