India’s fight gets UN nod, November 27 declared Global Day Against Child Marriage
For Odisha, the UN declaration could offer a renewed opportunity to strengthen coordination among schools, panchayats, communities, police, women’s groups and child-protection agencies to ensure that global commitments translate into action at the grassroots.
Bhubaneswar: India’s campaign against child marriage has received a significant global endorsement with the United Nations declaring November 27 as the International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage.
The date has a particular significance for India as it marks the launch of the Government’s ‘Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat’ campaign in 2024. The UN General Assembly has adopted the resolution on September 4, following an initiative led by Sierra Leone and supported by around 50 countries, including India.
The global initiative was spearheaded by Bhuwan Ribhu, founder of Just Rights for Children (JRC), who had called for a dedicated international day against child marriage. Addressing the UN in March this year, Ribhu reiterated the demand in the presence of international leaders, including Sierra Leone’s First Lady Fatima Maada Bio, who supported the initiative.
Welcoming the UN decision on Sunday, Ribhu said the recognition of November 27 was a moment of pride for India and credited children, communities, faith leaders, civil society organisations and the Government for building the campaign.
The development is particularly significant for states such as Odisha, where child marriage continues to pose a serious social challenge, especially in economically and educationally disadvantaged communities. The UN recognition could provide an additional impetus to state-level campaigns by bringing greater international attention to prevention, education, community mobilisation and enforcement of the law.
According to NFHS-5 (2019-21), 23.3 per cent of women aged 20-24 in India were married before the age of 18. The figure declined to 20.1per cent in NFHS-6 (2023-24), according to the data cited by JRC.
The organisation said its partners work with governments and law-enforcement agencies across 782 districts in India and have helped prevent more than 5.5 lakh child marriages.
JRC said the movement has also expanded internationally, with campaigns now reaching more than 99 countries and over 250 million people pledging support for ending child marriage.
The global commitment is aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 5.3, which calls for eliminating harmful practices, including child, early and forced marriage, by 2030.
For Odisha, the UN declaration could offer a renewed opportunity to strengthen coordination among schools, panchayats, communities, police, women’s groups and child-protection agencies to ensure that global commitments translate into action at the grassroots.
