Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday directed officials to step up measures to make Karnataka child marriage-free within the next five years. He was speaking after launching a campaign against child marriage and an interactive website, KARE, by the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights to handle complaints involving child rights.

Referring to a national survey that revealed that 23.2% of child marriages in India took place in Karnataka, Mr. Siddaramaiah said: “It is unfortunate that there is no end to child marriages, even when there is a law in place that prohibits it and makes it a punishable offence.”

Although the rate of child marriages has come down from 41.2% in 2005 to 23.2% at present, the social menace should be eradicated completely in the next five years, the Chief Minister said.

Based on the recommendations of a core committee headed by former Supreme Court judge Shivaraj V. Patil, the State government had approved amendments to Karnataka Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006. The amended Act has been sent to the Centre, he said. The proposed amendments that envisage zero tolerance towards child marriage are aimed at giving suo motu powers to the police and increasing the penalty.

Child Rights Commission chairperson Kripa Amar Alva called upon people to make use of the website KARE to register complaints. The website notifies the complaints to the concerned department as well as the Child Rights Commission. Unresolved cases will go to the Principal Secretary and finally, the CM, she said.