Panel finds Rajasthan 'link' to child marriages in N-K

 The Karnataka State Child Rights Protection Commission (KSCRPC) has written to the Director General of Police, Rajasthan, to look into the issue of child marriage in the Gurjar community of that state. 

Following the investigation of child marriages in North Karnataka, the commission found that most of the cases were reported from the Banjara community, a nomadic relative of the Gurjars. 

Kripa Amar Alva, the commission’s chairperson, met Manoj Bhatt, the Rajasthan DGP, to urge him to scrutinise marriages in the Gurjar community of Rajasthan and ensure that the rights of children are protected. 

Low literacy rate

The letter states that the community has a low literacy rate and low sex ratio besides primitive practices. 

Men as old as 70 years marry young girls between the age of 10 and 18, often taking more than one wife. 

The girls are physically and sexually abused, and usually sold into flesh trade within a year. After observing such cases in Belagavi, Dharwad and various districts of North Karnataka, the KSCRPC is bringing the matter to the attention of the authorities in Rajasthan and Gujarat, where the Gurjar population is largely found. 

Since such marriages and trafficking occur with the help of a strong network which exists across states, the KSCRPC has sought the help of authorities in charge there.