Overview

• The pilot ‘Akka Force’ begins operations on August 15 in Mysuru, Belagavi and Mangaluru, deploying women police officers and senior NCC cadets with departmental vehicles to patrol campuses and public spaces.
• The initiative expands a model first tested in Bidar district that officials say delivered promising results in reducing child marriage and sexual violence incidents.
• Official data from the Women and Child Development Department records 1,799 child marriages over three years, with annual totals of 405 in 2022-23, 709 in 2023-24 and 685 so far in 2024-25.
• A 10-department committee, district-level Child Welfare Committees and the 1098 helpline will coordinate prevention, reporting and rescue efforts across the state.
• Opposition legislators cite about 26,463 underage pregnancies in 10 months and have urged verification of these figures alongside measures such as sex education and social media oversight.