Annapurna Devi, the Union Minister of Women and Child Development, inaugurated the "Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat Campaign" on Wednesday. This campaign is also known as the Child Marriage Free India campaign.
The campaign webpage was launched to prevent child marriage and other harmful practices. Its goal is to "help girls achieve their potential" by ending child marriages.
10 Years of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao
The government started Beti Bachao Beti Padhao [rescue girls, educate girls] ten years ago in an effort to transform how society views girls. This development demonstrates how there is a change in the perspectives on the importance of the girl child. At the portal's inauguration, Devi stated, "The next step is to clear the way for her to fulfill all of her goals and not allow customs like child marriage to impede her potential development."
Devi stated that India's efforts to prevent child marriages have received international recognition. According to UN data, South Asia has seen the biggest drop in child marriage, with India playing a major role in it.
States Focused on the Campaign
In some regions of India, child marriages are still common. The seven high-burden states—West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Tripura, Assam, and Andhra Pradesh—as well as 300 districts with rates higher than the national average would be the focus of the anti-child marriage campaign. By 2029, the goal is to lower the prevalence of child marriage to less than 5%. Government statistics shows that the rate of child marriage decreased from 47.4% in 2006 to 23.3% in 2019–21.
Amendment in the Law
The "Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat Campaign" aims to amend the law to guarantee that 18 is the legal minimum age for marriage, with no exceptions, and to give minors legal protection through these amendments. The portal's goal is to make it easier to keep an eye on Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs) by bolstering oversight and assessment systems to guarantee that they actively prohibit child weddings and help those who have been affected. It aims to improve public access to information by making it readily available to facilitate improved support and communication.
By implementing user-friendly techniques to encourage reporting by witnesses and victims, the portal seeks to streamline the process of reporting child marriages.
Other Initiatives Taken by Modi Gov
The government is working on initiatives like Nari Adalats (women's courts) and a guide on gender-inclusive communication to reduce biases in language. Devi mentioned that this effort is part of a larger goal to make India a developed nation by 2047, where girls play a key role in women-led progress.
In October, the Supreme Court stated that the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act applies to all, regardless of personal laws, while highlighting legal gaps. It emphasized the need for community involvement, tailored preventive actions, collaboration across sectors, and training for law enforcement to address the issue effectively.
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