Rayagada: Amid reports of unchecked child marriages, the district administration has formed a district-level task force, apart from other measures, to stop the evil practice in Rayagada.
Such measures are part of the government’s concern for the prevention of child marriages in the country.
The administration held a workshop on prevention of child marriages with the help of ActionAid and Unicef at Mission Shakti Conference hall Friday. A district-level task force was formed with the Collector as its head so as to monitor child marriages at all levels.
Scores of minor boys and girls from five blocks participated in the workshop. Rayagada sub-collector Pratap Chandra Pradhan dwelt on various steps being taken for empowerment of adolescent children.
ASP Batakrushna Mishra, district child protection officer Ramesh Chandra Nayak, DPEO Ramaksrushna Ganda, officials of the Unicef and Actionaid focused on ill impact of child marriages and existing legal framework for its prevention.
It was decided that awareness campaigns on prevention of child marriages will be carried out at all levels along with steps to be taken to ensure education for all adolescent boys and girls.
Besides, skill development programmes will be undertaken for them, officials said.
A draft proposal was prepared on the issue August 20, 2019 to draw up strategies for prevention of child marriages.
Minor boys and girls from Rayagada, Kashipur, Kalyansinghpur, Kolnara, Chandrapur blocks were imparted knowledge on various aspects of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), 2006.
The officials collected opinions of the children against child marriages and a district task force was formed for this purpose.
The initiative was taken while the state governments are requested on a routine basis to take special initiative to delay or prevent underage marriages.