India Launches 100-Day Intensive Awareness Campaign for a Child Marriage Free Bharat

On 4 December 2025, the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, marked the first anniversary of the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat (Child Marriage Free India) Initiative with the formal launch of a 100-day Intensive Awareness Campaign, a nationwide drive aimed at accelerating progress toward ending child marriage across the country.

Running from 27 November 2025 to 8 March 2026, the campaign seeks to mobilise citizens, institutions, community leaders, and local governments to strengthen India’s collective commitment to protecting children’s rights.

The campaign unfolds in three targeted phases. The first phase begins with an outreach drive in schools, colleges and universities to spark conversations and build awareness. The next stage brings on board faith leaders, community voices and marriage service providers to strengthen support at the community level. The final stage works with Gram Panchayats and municipal wards, encouraging them to adopt resolutions opposing child marriage formally.

Leadership Calls for Collective Action

Speaking at the launch event, Annpurna Devi, Hon’ble Minister for Women and Child Development, highlighted India’s steady progress in reducing child marriage. Over the past two decades, the country has seen a decline in the prevalence of child marriage, from 47.4% to 23.3%, owing to sustained efforts across government and civil society. A film played by the Ministry during the event showed that the prevalence is now estimated to have fallen below 15%. Yet, she emphasised, India must continue its determined push toward achieving SDG 5.3, as child marriage still inflicts “unimaginable suffering” on girls by cutting short their childhood and opportunities. She underscored the importance of the campaign’s unique whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, which is crucial for ending harmful practices such as child marriage. 

Reinforcing this message, Savitri Thakur, Hon’ble Minister of State for Women and Child Development, spoke about the multidimensional harms of child marriage, including early pregnancy and disruptions to education. She stressed that ending this practice is not only the responsibility of the government but of every citizen.

Calling child marriage a “crime against humanity”, Anil Malik, Secretary, MWCD, urged stronger collective action. Other dignitaries echoed this call, emphasising that education remains one of the most effective tools to end the practice.

Voices From the Frontlines

The event featured powerful testimonies from grassroots leaders working directly to prevent child marriage.

Bhuwan Ribhu, Founder of Just Rights for Children and the Child Marriage Free World Campaign, described Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs) as the “real heroes” of this movement. He underscored the importance of the 3Ps model: prevention before protection, protection before prosecution, and prosecution to create deterrence that leads to prevention. Reminding the audience that staying silent in the face of such injustices is a form of violence, he urged everyone present to take personal and collective responsibility, warning that “if we fail to protect our children today, nothing else we do in the future matters.”

Field experts, including Dr Bollineni Keerthi, President of Vasavya Mahila Mandali (Andhra Pradesh), and Usha Pattanayak, President of Ganiya Unnayan Committee (Odisha), also shared their experiences and challenges in intervening in child marriage cases at the community level.

A Collective Commitment

The event culminated with all participants joining the Minister in taking a solemn pledge to end child marriage, reinforcing the shared commitment of government, civil society, and communities to safeguard the rights and futures of India’s children.