T'gana women's panel makes a pitch for ending child marriages

The Telangana State Commission for Women today sought effective implementation of the Compulsory Registration of Marriage Act to prevent child marriages in the state.
The Act was made in undivided Andhra Pradesh in 2002 and the Telangana government adopted it in December, 2014, the Commission's Chairperson Tripurana Venkataratnam told reporters here.
Noting that marriage registration officers are in place at different levels in the districts, she said they would register all marriages along with the age of the bride.
"Child marriages are still taking place in districts like Mahabubnagar, Nalgonda and Karimnagar. We can put an end to child marriages by registering every marriage (in the concerned area)," she said.

The registration of marriages would also help in preventing any irregularities in the implementation of state government's 'Kalyana Lakshmi' and 'Shadi Mubarak' schemes (under which brides are offered financial assistance), she said.
The registration of marriage would also help women if they face any distress in their married life, she said.

The Commission has written to the government on the issue, she said.
Favouring making the registration of marriages an issue for discussion in 'Gram Sabhas', she said such a move would raise awareness among village residents on the need for registration of marriages.
The Commission suggested forming a special team of police in cases of rape so that investigation and the due process of law can be completed expeditiously, she said.

Hailing the Telangana governmet's move to provide a financial assistance of Rs 1,000 to single women (generally unmarried women or those deserted by husbands), Venkataratnam thanked Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for the decision.