Women Protection Secretaries of Gram (village) and Ward sachivalayams have been urged to step up vigil and act as convenors of child marriage prohibition and monitoring committees in the State while closely monitoring and preventing child marriages.
A one-day workshop on the role of Women Protection Secrerataries, also known as Mahila Samrakshana Karyadarshulu (MSKs), in preventing child marriages, was organised by Child Rights Advocacy Foundation (CRAF), a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) here on Wednesday.
Speaking at the workshop, SCPCR Member, G. Seetaram lauded the role of NGOs in monitoring child marriages and asked the MSKs to create awareness among the villagers against child marriages.
CRAF State programme director Dr. P. Francis Thambi said that government has issued a Government Order empowering MSKs as Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs).
Disha Mahila Police Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) V. V. Naidu urged the MSKs to acquire knowledge of the CMPOs and asked them disseminate information around the legal consequences of child marriages in villages.
Additionally, more awareness and training sessions will be conducted to empower the MSKs to render Andhra Pradesh a child marriage-free State, Mr. Thambi said. Women Protection Secretaries from different places also attended the workshop.
