Bengaluru
Karnataka Women and Child Welfare Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar on Wednesday announced the state’s plan to expand the ‘Akka Force’—a women-led initiative aimed at preventing rape, child pregnancies, and child marriages.
Speaking in response to JD(S) floor leader C.B. Suresh Babu in the Assembly, Hebbalkar said the initiative, which has already shown success in Bidar, will be rolled out across the state. It is set to launch on August 15 in Mysuru, Mangaluru, and Belagavi before a statewide implementation.
The force will comprise women police officers and senior NCC cadets, equipped with vehicles to visit colleges and public spaces to raise awareness and deter offences. A 10-department committee, including representatives from RDPR, Health, Education, Home, Social Welfare, Revenue, and SC/ST Welfare, has been established to prevent child marriages from gram panchayat to district levels. A 24-hour helpline, 1098, is also operational.
Babu highlighted alarming statistics: 405 girls under 18 were victims of child marriage in 2023-24, with 709 incidents recorded. In 2024-25, 685 cases have already been reported, along with 26,463 child pregnancies over the past ten months.
Acknowledging the gravity of the situation, Hebbalkar said the government has amended laws to address these issues and tabled a bill to strengthen child marriage prevention. She disputed certain Belagavi district figures but admitted child marriages persist in some communities.
The minister also emphasized efforts to curb love marriages among minors and regulate social media content linked to such cases, reinforcing the government’s commitment to protecting children and women.
