<p>Bengaluru: Women and Child Development Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar told the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday that all-women teams, known as Akka Pade, will start functioning in three districts from August 15 to fight child marriages of and sexual assaults against underage girls. </p>.<p>The Akka Pade or sisters force will be functional on a pilot basis in Mysuru, Belagavi and Dakshina Kannada, Hebbalkar said.</p> <p>She was replying to a question raised by JD(S) floor leader C B Suresh Babu on teenage pregnancies. </p>.<p>“I saw this Akka Pade functioning well in Bidar under the superintendent of police there. We want to start this across the state. The Akka Pade will have women police personnel and senior NCC cadres. It will visit educational institutions,” Hebbalkar said. </p>.<p>According to her written reply, Karnataka has reported 1,799 cases of teenage pregnancies, with 405 cases in 2022-23, 709 cases in 2023-24, and 685 cases in 2024-25. </p>.<p>Babu, however, contested the figures. “The information I have is that 26,463 teenage pregnancies have been reported in 10 months. This includes 889 in Bagalkot, 617 in Koppal, 850 in Ballari and 2,622 in Belagavi,” he said. </p>.<p>Expressing alarm over teenage pregnancies, Babu called for urgent measures.</p>.<p>“We are headed towards a bad situation. Kids are getting into romantic relationships. There are sexual ads on social media that kids are falling for. We need sex education in schools,” he said. </p>.<p>Hebbalkar maintained that her figures were based on cases produced before Child Welfare Committees (CWC) in every district.</p>.<p>“There can’t be 2,000 cases in Belagavi, which is where I come from,” she said. </p>.<p>To fight child marriages, Hebbalkar said a 10-department committee has been formed for coordinated action. </p>.<p>“When it comes to rape, we need to educate. This is a society’s disease...our blood boils when we talk about it. Everyone wants to get rid of this problem,” the minister said, adding that girls in distress could call the 1098 helpline. </p>.<p>Babu asked Hebbalkar to consider the possibility that parents might not report cases, keeping in mind children’s future.“In my constituency, a class 9 girl delivered a child because of a driver,” he said. </p>
<p>Bengaluru: Women and Child Development Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar told the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday that all-women teams, known as Akka Pade, will start functioning in three districts from August 15 to fight child marriages of and sexual assaults against underage girls. </p>.<p>The Akka Pade or sisters force will be functional on a pilot basis in Mysuru, Belagavi and Dakshina Kannada, Hebbalkar said.</p> <p>She was replying to a question raised by JD(S) floor leader C B Suresh Babu on teenage pregnancies. </p>.<p>“I saw this Akka Pade functioning well in Bidar under the superintendent of police there. We want to start this across the state. The Akka Pade will have women police personnel and senior NCC cadres. It will visit educational institutions,” Hebbalkar said. </p>.<p>According to her written reply, Karnataka has reported 1,799 cases of teenage pregnancies, with 405 cases in 2022-23, 709 cases in 2023-24, and 685 cases in 2024-25. </p>.<p>Babu, however, contested the figures. “The information I have is that 26,463 teenage pregnancies have been reported in 10 months. This includes 889 in Bagalkot, 617 in Koppal, 850 in Ballari and 2,622 in Belagavi,” he said. </p>.<p>Expressing alarm over teenage pregnancies, Babu called for urgent measures.</p>.<p>“We are headed towards a bad situation. Kids are getting into romantic relationships. There are sexual ads on social media that kids are falling for. We need sex education in schools,” he said. </p>.<p>Hebbalkar maintained that her figures were based on cases produced before Child Welfare Committees (CWC) in every district.</p>.<p>“There can’t be 2,000 cases in Belagavi, which is where I come from,” she said. </p>.<p>To fight child marriages, Hebbalkar said a 10-department committee has been formed for coordinated action. </p>.<p>“When it comes to rape, we need to educate. This is a society’s disease...our blood boils when we talk about it. Everyone wants to get rid of this problem,” the minister said, adding that girls in distress could call the 1098 helpline. </p>.<p>Babu asked Hebbalkar to consider the possibility that parents might not report cases, keeping in mind children’s future.“In my constituency, a class 9 girl delivered a child because of a driver,” he said. </p>
