Awareness can help stop child marriages, trafficking 

Vijayawada: Child marriages and trafficking can be stopped by creating awareness among youth, said Venkata Saidulu Kumar, chairman of Forum for Child Rights. In this regard an awareness programme was organised jointly by Girl Advocacy Alliance, Mahita international organisation and Forum for Child Rights here on Monday.

Speaking on the occasion, Kumar hailed the Non-government organisations (NGOs) for their committed service towards girl child protection. He said that every individual should feel the responsibility, and more number of organisations should come forward to protect them from child marriages and trafficking.

Girl Advocacy Alliance state coordinator G Prasad said more funds should be allocated by the State government as mentioned in the Amaravati Declaration released during National Women's Parliament to stop child marriages and child trafficking. He expressed the need to create awareness on the law over child marriages and trafficking.

He said that awareness should be created among people from the village and mandal-levels and recalled that 400 child marriages were stopped by them in the past. Forum for Child Rights representative A Ramesh, Bhumika NGO representative Saritha, and others were present.