Hyderabad: Massive Participation Across Telangana for ‘Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat’ Campaign
Thousands of people across Telangana stepped out onto streets, schools, roads, and marketplaces on Thursday to join events organized by the Just Rights for Children (JRC) Alliance. These events were held in support of the Government of India’s campaign, ‘Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat,’ which aims to eliminate child marriage.
As part of the campaign, awareness drives, candlelight marches, and road shows were conducted in 1,750 villages across 25 districts. A diverse group of participants took part, including police officers, court officials, village leaders, religious figures, school children, teachers, and survivors of child marriage. Together, they pledged to work towards ending child marriage and reporting any such incidents.
Union Minister of Women and Child Development, Annapurna Devi, officially launched the ‘Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat’ campaign on November 27 in New Delhi. During the event at Vigyan Bhawan, she urged citizens to take responsibility for eradicating child marriage. The minister also administered a pledge against child marriage to representatives from all Gram Panchayats and schools nationwide. As part of this campaign, a national portal for reporting child marriages was introduced, with the aim of reaching 250 million people across the country.
Child marriage often leads to a life of oppression, limiting freedom and opportunities for victims. It also hinders women’s participation in the workforce. According to the National Family Health Survey-V (2019-21), 23.3% of women aged 20-24 in India were married before the age of 18. Telangana’s figures were slightly higher, at 23.5%.
JRC founder Bhuwan Ribhu emphasized the importance of a collaborative effort. “As we move forward, we seek the state government’s leadership to foster a culture where prevention, protection, and prosecution work to drive lasting behavioral change,” he said.
The campaign continues to inspire hope for a future free from child marriage, with communities, organizations, and authorities working hand in hand to achieve this goal.
