Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)
Bengaluru, Dec 21: During the recent public hearing organized by Karnataka State Child Rights Commission, a minor girl from Jigaluru village in Ballari district revealed that during the last two years, 21 minor girls from her village had been married off.
The commission had arranged for the public hearing to study the effects of the pandemic on the children. At the hearing held in Ballari district on November 6, a tenth standard girl revealed that after the pandemic began, marriages of 21 minor girls from her village were performed.
A taskforce had been formed to get information about the child marriage, number or pregnancies arising out of it, and other things. President of the commission, Antony Sebastian, said that the women and child welfare department is seized of the matter now.
A tenth standard student of from Kadakol village in Gadag district also came up with complaint about the child marriage cases from her village. Antony said that poverty, negligence, socio-economic conditions, indigenous tribal customs, culture, education, nutrition shortage, being out of the school etc are the social problems which give rise to more child marriages.
Many girls have left school for want of toilets. He said that recently, the commission directed the superintendent of police to register a case against the headmaster of a school under section 75 of the Juvenile Delinquents Act for behaving inhumanly with students who were facing problems because of shortage of toilets.
Most of the child marriages are happening in north Karnataka, Mysuru, and Chamarajanagar districts. Many follow the tradition of conducting the marriages of the girls once they enter puberty. There is a need to create awareness among the family about the ills of early marriage and to stop them by proper use of law, the president of the commission observed.
In the meantime, the Young Voices had written to the members of parliament, seeking to increase the marriageable age of girls to 21. Over 2,500 youngsters from 15 states and 96 social service organizations have extended support to this proposal.