The Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Smt. Annpurna Devi will launch a national campaign “Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat” tomorrow , on 27th  November 2024, in a function to be held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Smt. Savitri Thakur will also grace the occasion.

Inspired by the success of ‘Beti Bachao Beti Padhao’ – a flagship scheme launched by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on 22nd January, 2015 that has been instrumental in bringing a positive shift in the behaviour and attitude in the society towards valuing the girl child, Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat campaign will focus on making the country child marriage free that is imperative to promote education, skilling, enterprise and entrepreneurship among girls and women to realise the vision of Viksit Bharat.

India has today achieved success in bringing down Child Mortality rate, Sex ratio at birth and also promoting girls enrolment at all levels and all streams of educational spectrum over the past few years.However, one of the major area of concerns remain the continued practice of child marriage, which is one of the worst forms of human rights violations. Despite concerted efforts, even today, almost 1 in 5 girls are getting married before they attain the legal age of marriage i.e. 18 years.  It is a practice that disproportionately affects girls, subjecting them to a life of premature caregiving, denying them the joys of youth, and often leading to a cycle of poverty.

Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat is inspired by the vision of Prime Minister of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ by the year 2047. Achieving this vision is not possible unless  women and girls have full, equal and meaningful participation in all spheres of life. To ensure this, it is imperative that the issues of girls from the very inception of their journey in this world is taken care of through a ‘whole of government’ and ‘whole of society’ approach. The campaign is a testament to the ongoing efforts of the Government to eradicate child marriage and empower young girls across the nation, ensuring a progressive and equitable society where every child's potential can be fully realized.

At the launch event, the Minister for Women and Child Development Smt. Annpurna Devi will lead a collective pledge against child marriage, which is expected to reach up to 25 crore citizens during the campaign. The event will also witness the unveiling of the 'Child Marriage Free Bharat' portal, a dedicated online platform to support the campaign's mission of raising awareness against, and prevention of child marriage and effective reporting of incidences of child marriage.

The event will witness attendance of Child Marriage Prohibition Officers from across various districts of the country, Civil Society organisations, Government Officials  of all the Central Line Ministries, officials of States / UTs, print and electronic media and esteemed citizens in physical and virtual mode. The event will be live streamed through webcast and YouTube. 

To view the live streaming of the event and taking pledge please visit URL: https://stopchildmarriage.wcd.gov.in/

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