Current Context : Union women and child development minister recently launched the “Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat Campaign”.
About ‘Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat’ Campaign:
- Initiated by the Ministry of Women and Child Development on November 27, 2024.
- Aims to eliminate child marriage in India as part of the larger Viksit Bharat @2047
Focus Areas:
- Targets seven high-burden states: West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Tripura, Assam, and Andhra Pradesh.
- Includes nearly 300 high-burden districts with child marriage rates above the national average.
Goals:
- Reduce child marriage rates to below 5% by 2029.
- Engage multiple stakeholders and communities to foster societal change.
Child Marriage Free Bharat Portal:
- Centralized platform to raise awareness, report cases, and track progress.
- Enables real-time monitoring of complaints by Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs).
- Facilitates public participation in reporting cases and raising awareness.
Achievements:
- Child marriage rates have significantly dropped from 4% in 2006to 23.3% in 2019-21.
Public Engagement:
- Encourages citizens to take a pledge against child marriage, with a target of engaging 25 crore people.
- Involves local communities, government bodies, and NGOs to enhance impact.