Venkatachalaiah lamented that there was a big gap between the seemingly adequate laws against child abuse and their implementation. He said the ``next step'' in the campaign would be targetting the districts which sent a majority of under-age girls for prostitution to the big cities.

He said the bureaucrats in these parts of the country needed to be `sensitised' to the problem. He also repeated a suggestion from NHRC member V S Malimath, who advocated an economic package for the families which earned money by sending their daughters into prostitution.

About 80 per cent of prostitutes in Mumbai and Goa came from Karnataka, according to Malimath.

Venkatachaliah said there could also be case for a more proactive judiciary in dealing with the problem, but the issue had to be debated before a decision wastaken.

As the `first step,' the NHRC and the UNICEF have brought out a series of posters highlighting the plight of young girls caught in prostitution. The posters also remind that anyone who has sex with a girl under 16 could face life imprisonment.

This would be followed by spots on television and radio. The campaign would begin from Delhi, but the NHRC and other agencies plan to take it to other areas in the coming months.

There are also plans to start a helpline for abused children in the Capital, on the lines of one started in Mumbai. From October 2, children in distress can ring `Childline' on 1098 and get immediate help.

The chairman also laid stress on education as a long term solution to prevent poor families from forcing their children into prostitution.