Telangana Women’s Commission Seeks Effective Implementation To End Child Marriages  

Hyderabad: Telangana State Commission for Women on Monday 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 said.

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). 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.

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 added.

Hailing the state government’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.