Government committed to abolish child marriage...
Kolkata, Sept 9 (PTI) The new government in West Bengal is commited to curb the menace of child marriage with the help of local bodies, Women and Child Development Minister Sabitri Mitra today said.An awareness campaign among parents and village elders is being launched with active involvement of panchayet bodies and other grassroot organisations in villages and towns for the purpose, the minister said.''We must realise that child marriage gives rise to trafficking of girls and women and I am confident that if all districts develop an action plan by the end of this year and implement it in 2012, we will have a different story to tell,'' Mitra said at a state-level consultation programme of UNICEF and her department.Mitra later told reproters that her government has been in power for a little over three months, but has already started the process for abolishing child marriage.Popular Bengali film star Koel Mallick, chosen the UNICEF celebrity advocate for the girl child in West Bengal, said that she had taken her new role very seriously."As long as the practice of child marriage continues, ensuring real development can never been realised," Mallick said.A UNICEF spokesperson said a staggering 53.9 per cent of girls are married off before they reach 18 in Bengal.Underscoring the need to provide quality education to girls, UNICEF Chief of Field Office in West Bengal Lori Calvo said, "Evidence shows that educated girls grow into agents of change for their families, communities and societies as a whole.'' PTI SUS MD
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