Last Updated on September 28, 2025 4:12 pm by BIZNAMA NEWS
NEELAM JENA
India has made remarkable progress in curbing child marriage, with new data revealing a dramatic drop in cases across the country. According to the research report “Tipping Point to Zero: Evidence Towards a Child Marriage-Free India” released by Just Rights for Children (JRC), child marriage among girls has declined by 69%, while the rate among boys has fallen by 72%. These figures mark a historic shift in a country where child marriage was once deeply entrenched in social norms.
The report attributes this success to a combination of legal enforcement and grassroots awareness. Arrests and FIRs have emerged as the most effective deterrents, alongside widespread public education campaigns. Assam led the way with an 84% reduction in child marriages among girls, followed by Maharashtra and Bihar (70% each), Rajasthan (66%), and Karnataka (55%).
This transformation is the result of coordinated efforts over the past three years between central and state governments, civil society organizations, and local communities. An overwhelming 99% of survey respondents said they had heard about the government’s “Child Marriage-Free India” campaign, primarily through NGOs, schools, and panchayats.
The report was unveiled at a high-level side event during the UN General Assembly in New York. It was prepared by JRC’s research wing, the Center for Legal Action and Behavioral Change for Children (C-LAB), in collaboration with India Child Protection. JRC, India’s largest child rights network, comprises over 250 civil society organizations working to protect children from violence and exploitation.
Recognizing Assam’s exceptional achievements, JRC honored Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma with the “Champions of Change” award for his leadership in combating child marriage.
A Shift in Public Awareness and Legal Action
Until recently, child marriage was a silent epidemic. Between 2019 and 2021, India witnessed three child marriages every minute, yet only three complaints were filed daily. Today, the landscape has changed dramatically. The report notes that nearly every citizen is now aware of child marriage laws—a shift that would have seemed unimaginable just a few years ago.
NGOs played a pivotal role in spreading awareness. In Bihar, 93% of people learned about the campaign through civil society efforts, followed by 89% in Maharashtra and 88% in Assam. Schools also contributed significantly, especially in Rajasthan and Maharashtra, where 87% and 77% of respondents respectively credited educational institutions for their awareness.
JRC founder Bhuvan Rhibhu emphasized the importance of prevention, protection, and prosecution—the “3Ps” guiding India’s approach. “India is on the brink of eliminating child marriage. This is not just about achieving a Sustainable Development Goal; it’s about proving to the world that eradication is possible,” he said. “The formula is clear: prevention before protection, protection before prosecution, and prosecution as a preventive tool.”
He added that with strong government resolve, robust partnerships, community engagement, child participation, access to social security, and strict adherence to the rule of law, a child marriage-free world is within reach.
Education, Poverty, and Social Barriers
Despite progress, challenges remain. The survey, conducted across 757 villages in five states, revealed disparities in girls’ education. While 31% of villages reported that all girls aged 6–18 were attending school, the numbers varied widely—51% in Maharashtra compared to just 9% in Bihar.
Respondents identified poverty (88%), lack of infrastructure (47%), safety concerns (42%), and inadequate transportation (24%) as major barriers to girls’ education. These same factors were cited as key drivers of child marriage, with 91% pointing to poverty and 44% to safety issues.
Encouragingly, the stigma around reporting child marriage is fading. In a society where such practices were once normalized and reporting discouraged, 63% of respondents now feel “very comfortable” informing authorities, while 33% feel “somewhat comfortable.”
Recommendations and Future Roadmap
To eliminate child marriage by 2030, the report recommends stricter enforcement of existing laws, improved information systems, mandatory marriage registration, and village-level awareness programs through the Child Marriage-Free India portal. It also proposes designating a national day to mobilize public support against child marriage.
The survey used a multi-stage stratified random sampling method to ensure representation across India’s diverse socio-cultural landscape. Data collection involved frontline workers such as ASHA and Anganwadi staff, school teachers, nurses, midwives, and panchayat members.
The UNGA side event titled “Creating a Child Marriage-Free World: Building the Case for Prevention, Protection and Prosecution” was co-hosted by JRC, Sierra Leone’s First Lady Dr. Fatima Maada Bio, and the permanent missions of Sierra Leone and Kenya. It featured speakers including UN Special Representative Dr. Najat Maalla M’jid, Norway’s Minister for International Development, Kenya’s Principal Secretary for Child Services, France’s Ambassador-at-Large for Human Rights, and RFK Human Rights President Kerry Kennedy.
Impact at Scale
Since 2023, JRC has supported over 500,000 children in India and prevented 18 child marriages every hour. Between April 2023 and September 2025, the network stopped 397,849 child marriages, rescued 109,548 children from trafficking and bonded labor, filed over 74,375 cases against trafficking gangs, and assisted 32,000 victims of sexual abuse.
JRC has become the first civil society network to operationalize the “3Ps” framework—prosecution, prevention, and protection—at scale, offering a blueprint not just for India, but for the world.
India’s journey from widespread child marriage to a model of prevention and accountability is a testament to what’s possible when law, leadership, and local action converge. The world is watching—and learning.
