National Campaign Against Child Marriage
The Government of India launched the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat campaign on November 27, 2024, with the objective of making the country child-marriage-free. The initiative recognises that preventing child marriage is critical to promoting education, skilling, entrepreneurship and overall empowerment of girls and women, which are essential to achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat.
The campaign focuses on creating widespread awareness about the legal, social and health consequences of child marriage. It also aims to enhance the involvement of parents, families and communities while strengthening the role of frontline officials responsible for prevention and enforcement.
100-Day Special अभियान to Intensify Action
To consolidate gains and accelerate impact, a 100 Days Special Campaign under Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat was launched on December 4, 2025. This focused drive seeks to mobilise stakeholders in a structured and time-bound manner, ensuring deeper outreach and improved coordination at the grassroots level.
The special campaign emphasises targeted engagement with institutions, community leaders and service providers. It also mandates the uploading of details of Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs) on the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat portal, strengthening accountability and accessibility for citizens.
Spell-Wise Thematic Implementation
The campaign is being implemented through a spell-wise thematic plan. Spell I, conducted from November 27 to December 31, 2025, focused on sensitisation activities in schools, colleges and universities. Debates, essay competitions and pledge ceremonies were organised to raise awareness among young people.
Spell II, held from January 1 to January 31, 2026, targeted religious institutions and marriage-related service providers such as temples, mosques, caterers, tent houses and DJs. These stakeholders were encouraged to discourage child marriage and display information, education and communication materials.
Spell III, running from February 1 to March 8, 2026, focuses on mobilising Gram Panchayats and Municipal Wards to pass resolutions declaring their jurisdictions child-marriage-free. This phase aims to embed prevention within local governance structures.
Digital Platform and Public Participation
A key pillar of the initiative is the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat digital portal, which serves as a platform for reporting child marriage incidents, disseminating information and registering pledges. Citizens, institutions and public representatives can take the pledge through this portal as well as the MyGov platform.
As of now, awareness activities have reached over six crore people nationwide, while more than 28 lakh pledges have been registered. These figures highlight the scale of public engagement and the campaign’s success in mobilising collective action.
Strengthening Enforcement and Early Intervention
The campaign reinforces enforcement of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 by building the capacity of Child Marriage Prohibition Officers, police officials, child protection committees and health workers. Training and sensitisation programmes enable duty bearers to respond swiftly to complaints.
The BVMB portal acts as a centralised repository of over 60,700 CMPOs across States and Union Territories, providing an efficient reporting mechanism. Early reporting through this system allows timely intervention to prevent child marriages before they occur.
Role of Helplines and Legal Support
The Central Government continues to support awareness drives, media campaigns and advisories to States and UTs highlighting the harmful effects of child marriage. Under Mission Shakti, the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao component plays a key role in promoting gender equality and discouraging early marriage.
Institutions such as the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and the National Legal Services Authority conduct awareness programmes, issue standard operating procedures and provide free legal aid. The Child Helpline 1098 and Women Helpline 181, integrated with the Emergency Response Support System, offer round-the-clock assistance for prevention and crisis response.
Parliamentary Response
The progress and impact of the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat campaign were shared by Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smt. Annpurna Devi in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha. The Minister reiterated the government’s commitment to eliminating child marriage through sustained awareness, enforcement and community ownership.
