The statistics provided by the Karnataka government on teenage pregnancies and reasons given for child marriages in the State came under criticism on Friday as they trained their guns at Women and Child Development Minister Lakshmi Hebbalkar for not providing comprehensive figures.
Legislators Bharathi Shetty of BJP and S. Umashree of the Congress in the Legislative Council took objection to the statistics provided by the government, which said that 986 teenage pregnancies had been reported in the State over the last three years. Ms. Shetty, who posed the question, disagreed with the figures and said that reports in media had revealed higher numbers. She said that awareness has to be created among children studying between seventh and tenth standard.
Ms. Umashree, a former Women and Child Development Minister, also took objection to the figures, and pointed out that the data with the Health Department had a higher figure.
Reasons draw flak
While the State government cited “negligence by parents” and “love affairs” as reasons for child pregnancies, members took exceptions. “Is this an answer? Which parent would encourage this? How can parents be responsible? The department has given a frivolous answer,” Ms. Shetty said. While Ms. Umashree pointed out that child marriages are higher in border areas as they cross over to neighbouring States to conduct marriages, the government had also said that teenage pregnancies are rising in Kolar that borders Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Concurring with the views of the members, Ms. Hebbalkar said: “As a woman, even I do not agree with the answers provided.” She also said that she would convene a meeting of women legislators to discuss the issues.
