New Delhi, Aug 14 (IANS): Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi Thursday suggested measures to curb atrocities against women including victim protection programme and strengthening laws against perjury and child marriage.

Replying to a discussion in the Lok Sabha on rising atrocities against women and children, Gandhi said: "Victims disappear out of fear. We have to put in place a strong victim protection programme".

Besides advocating stringent law against perjury, she said the child marriage act also needed to be taken seriously.

"We need to tighten mechanisms to trace and investigate cases of missing children," she said.

She said that most members cutting across party lines have blamed the patriarchal mind set, absence of stringent laws and decreasing child-sex ratio for the rising number of atrocities.

The minister claimed that the NDA government had brought in fast-track courts during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee regime, but mysteriously they have been allowed to disappear.

She said the government was working on a high-level committee on the status of women to prepare a list of laws which need to be worked on.

"We are also making a one stop crisis redressal system for all crimes against women," she added.