The Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat Campaign (Child Marriage-Free India Campaign), launched by Union Women and Child Development Minister Annpurna Devi, aims to eradicate child marriage and empower girls. The campaign targets seven high-burden states and 300 districts with high child marriage rates. It includes education, health, financial security, safety, and social awareness initiatives. The campaign aims to create a developed India by 2047, with girls playing a central role in women-led development.
The campaign will target West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Tripura, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, and districts where child marriage rates are above the national average. A new portal has been launched for reporting child marriages, filing complaints, and accessing information about Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs) for the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat Campaign, aiming to ensure the minimum marriage age is 18 years without any exceptions and provide legal protection for children, encouraging citizens to pledge to prevent child marriage.
During the portal launch, the Union Minister mentioned, "Ten years ago, the government launched Beti Bachao Beti Padhao to bring social change in perceptions towards the girl child. This progress is a testament to the collective shift in our attitudes towards valuing the girl child. The next stage is to pave the path for her to achieve all her dreams and not let practices such as child marriage hinder her potential growth."
According to data, child marriage in India has dropped to 23.3 per cent in 2019-21 from 47.4 per cent in 2006. This new campaign aims to reduce child marriage prevalence to below 5 per cent by 2029.
