BENGALURU: Child Rights Trust, Bengaluru has urged the state government to declare November 1 as Anti-Child Marriage Day. The organisation has submitted a memorandum to the Department of Women and Child Development regarding the same, considering that it is on this day that the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006 was declared, to put an end to child marriages.
The Act prohibits marriages between any girl below 18 years and boys below the age of 21. Karnataka also has the distinction of declaring all child marriages ‘void ab initio’.
“Girls who get married early, lose out on education, health care, and have to endure domestic violence, discrimination, and economic dependency. Infant mortality, U5 mortality and maternal mortality for many are just a few numbers but are hindering the development of the nation,” said Vasudeva Sharma N V, Executive Director of CRT.