Cases of minors eloping rises in Mysuru district

MYSURU: There has been a rise in the number of cases of minors eloping in the district. According to authorities of Child Welfare Committee (CWC), a quasi-judicial body, and Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR), they have received scores of cases of minor marriages and cases of abuse. Minor girls, after running away with boys of their choice in order to marry, have ended up being abused in several cases, they said.
CWC has received more than 1,000 complaints concerning children below the age of 18 and many cases of elopement including minor marriages and abuse cases.
CWC members say on many occasions they have passed orders in three to four cases on the custody of minor girls, in a single day, which is a reason for worry.
They said it is important for parents and teachers to take children into confidence during their adolescent period, give orientation about sex education, and keep a tab on their behaviour regularly to prevent cases of elopement. The minor victims have told them that they ran away from their homes because their parents were planning to marry them off to other boys or opposed their relationships.
CWC president HT Kamala said the elopement cases are a cause of concern as it leads to child abuse and minor marriages. “Minor girls require proper orientation from both parents and teachers. We have received cases of children studying between Class 8 and 12 from both urban and rural areas in equal numbers,” she said. CWC member E Dhananjaya said the committee has received 1,034 such cases in 2021. “Many of them are related to elopement, abuse, and minor marriage apart from cases of missing, running away from home, and pushing children to begging,” he said.
Cases of child labour are fewer. In several cases, Provisions of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences are invoked because the girls are minor. The boys are booked for abduction, procuring a minor child and rape if the girl is reported to be abused.
KSCPCR member ML Parashuram said about 67 Pocso cases were registered in Mysuru district, 56 in Kodagu and 50 in Chamarajanagar in 2021. Apart from this, 13 cases of child marriages were reported in Chamarajanagar and two in Kodagu, he stated.