Child marriage-free campaign kicks off
Puttaparthi: District Collector and Magistrate A Shyam Prasad called for a united, urgent effort to eradicate child marriages, flagging off a district-wide awareness campaign vehicle on Saturday. Launched under Samata Voluntary Organisation, the vehicle aims to generate grassroots awareness about the harmful impacts of child marriages and the legal measures to prevent them.
The Collector highlighted the Union government's target to eliminate child marriages nationwide by 2030, stressing that success demands collaborative action from the public, students, officials, and NGOs. Andhra Pradesh ranks sixth in reported child marriages, and he urged all stakeholders to make Sri Sathya Sai district entirely free of this practice. Emphasising education's role, he appealed to parents and communities to keep girls under 18 in school.
He encouraged reporting suspected cases to Childline 1098 or police emergency 112, noting that Child Marriage Prohibition Officers hold special powers for swift intervention. Women Development and Child Welfare Project Director Prameela said the campaign would lower maternal and infant mortality rates, along with teenage pregnancies, through village-level sensitization. Samata Director Adinarayana Reddy outlined the organisation's ongoing work in Sri Sathya Sai and Annamayya districts to combat child marriages, child labour, trafficking, and crimes against children via targeted outreach to religious leaders, service providers, institutions, and local officials.
