By Vinayak Das
New Delhi — The Ministry of Women and Child Development on Thursday launched a 100-day intensive nationwide awareness campaign, marking one year of the Government of India’s flagship Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat (Child Marriage Free India) initiative. The event was held at Vigyan Bhawan, in the presence of Union Women and Child Development Minister Annpurna Devi and Minister of State Savitri Thakur.
The Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat campaign was originally launched on November 27, 2024, with the aim of mobilising communities, local administrations and civil society to eliminate child marriage across India.
At the launch event, child rights activist and founder of Just Rights for Children (JRC), Bhuwan Ribhu, urged all stakeholders to come together to end what he described as a “crime against children.” Ribhu emphasised that India’s progress over the past year shows what collaboration between government, NGOs, communities and law enforcement can achieve.
He said, “The role of community groups, faith leaders, panchayats and citizens is central to building a child-marriage-free India. The Government’s Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat campaign has become a model for the world. It stands as a celebration of our collective work to end this crime against children. Last year, more than one lakh child marriages were stopped or prevented, showing that when society comes together, change is inevitable.”
He added, “Next year, we pledge to make one lakh villages child-marriage-free, so that every child has opportunities and a secure future. This momentum matters as India moves toward the larger vision of a Viksit Bharat.”
Just Rights for Children (JRC) — founded by Ribhu — is a civil society network working with law enforcement and child protection authorities across 451 districts, comprising over 250 NGOs. The organisation has been instrumental in community mobilisation, tracking early-marriage cases, working with child welfare committees, and strengthening district-level responses.
Campaign Aims to Scale Nationwide Action. The 100-day campaign launched Thursday will intensify community awareness drives, engagement with panchayats, women’s groups and faith leaders, monitoring of high-risk districts, school, anganwadi and adolescent-group outreach and collaboration with NGOs and district administrations.
The government believes coordinated action will enhance reporting, early intervention and long-term prevention of underage marriages.
