New Delhi: The Government of India is working with civil society organisations to make the nation free of child marriage by 2030, Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development Savitri Thakur said on Monday.
Addressing the inaugural session of a four-day national consultation on child rights organised by Just Rights for Children at the Constitution Club in New Delhi, Thakur said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made the elimination of child marriage by 2030 a national priority. She added that several initiatives are being implemented under the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat campaign to achieve the target.
The campaign aims to reduce the prevalence of child marriage by 10 per cent by 2026 and eliminate the practice across the country by 2030.
Thakur said grassroots organisations play a crucial role in protecting children from exploitation, trafficking, child marriage and abuse.
"Saving even one child's life is among the noblest acts. Many young girls become victims of trafficking and never find their way back home. These children wait for someone to rescue them, and the volunteers of NGOs who rescue them from sexual exploitation are nothing short of angels," she said.
Commending the work of Just Rights for Children, the minister said the organisation's contribution towards achieving the goal of a child marriage-free India would remain "unforgettable".
The four-day consultation, titled "Ensuring Child Rights, Potential and Prosperity," has brought together representatives of more than 250 partner organisations working across all 782 districts of the country to strengthen child protection systems and advance children's rights.
Speaking at the event, Lavu Krishna Devarayalu, Convener of the MPs for Children Forum and Parliamentary Party leader of the Telugu Desam Party in the Lok Sabha, said India's campaign against child marriage has emerged as a model for the world.
"This is an extraordinary movement. India has demonstrated that ending child marriage is possible, and the campaign initiated by Just Rights for Children is now inspiring action beyond our borders," he said.
Highlighting emerging threats to children, Devarayalu also referred to his Private Member's Bill introduced in Parliament, which seeks to strengthen safeguards for children against risks posed by social media.
Just Rights for Children founder Bhuwan Ribhu said the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat campaign, launched on November 27, 2024, has evolved into a nationwide movement focused on empowering children through justice, technology, leadership and collective action.
"Every time we stop a child marriage in a village, we do more than protect one child. We send a clear message to the entire community that child marriage is a crime with no place in a modern society. Over the last three years, together, we have prevented more than 5.5 lakh child marriages," he said.
