New Delhi: The NHRC has issued notices to the Centre and six states seeking a detailed action taken report on "the continued menace of Devadasi system in various temples, especially in southern part of India".
The National Human Rights Commission said it has taken suo motu cognisance of a media report on the system.
"Various laws have been enacted in the past to stop the malpractice of Devadasi system but it is still prevailing... The apex court has also taken a stern stance in condemning the malpractice of dedicating young girls as Devadasis," it noted.
Describing the practice an evil done to women by subjecting them to sexual exploitation and prostitution, the Supreme Court has held it as a serious issue of violation of Right to Life, Dignity and Equality of women, it said.
The media report highlighted by the NHRC stated that most of the victims belong to poor families, and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Explaining the system, the report said, "In the process of making a girl a Devadasi, she is married to the deity of any temple and she spends the rest of her life taking care of the priest and the daily rituals of the temple.
"Most of the victims of this malpractice are being subjected to sexual abuse. They are sexually exploited by men, impregnated, and left on their fate."
The panel said that Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh had declared the system illegal in 1982 and 1988, respectively.