BENGALURU: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday directed officials to work towards eliminating child marriages in the next five years. Speaking at the inauguration of the ‘Kare’, a website launched by State Commission for Protection of Child Rights exclusively for reporting instances of abuse or violence against children or any form of violation of child rights, the CM said that in the last 10 years, the number of child marriages had decreased from 41.2 per cent to 23.2 per cent.
“In five years time, this has to be eliminated completely. The male-female ratio is 1000:936 in the state. This should also improve. Female foeticide and child marriages have to be stopped. It is important to remember that men and women have equal rights over property,” he said.
Siddaramaiah also pointed out that at a time when children are still growing and gaining knowledge, they are married off. “Child marriages destroy futures and lives. Officials have to take responsibility of creating awareness among parents and guardians regarding this practice. The public too should alert the officials if they find such incidents taking place. This will enable the officials to immediately take action and prevent it,” he said.
The website can be accessed at: www.kscpcr.com.