The Just Rights for Children (JRC), a network of NGOs, has launched a 100-day intensive campaign to eliminate child marriage in one lakh villages, focusing on 18 high-prevalence districts in Haryana. These districts were identified based on data from the National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-21), highlighting areas with the greatest incidence of child marriage. The initiative coincides with the first anniversary of the Centre’s ‘Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat’ campaign, which also implemented a 100-day action plan to combat child marriage nationwide. Over the past year, JRC reported preventing 8,742 child marriages in Haryana, while its nationwide efforts have stopped over one lakh such marriages. In Haryana, the prevalence of child marriage is 12.5 percent, lower than the national average of 23.3 percent, though districts like Nuh, Palwal, and Gurugram show rates exceeding 20 percent.
JRC, the largest civil society network dedicated to child protection, coordinates with over 250 NGO partners across India and four partners in Haryana. Founder Bhuwan Ribhu emphasized that community groups, faith leaders, panchayats, and citizens play a central role in building a child marriage-free India. The campaign aims to make one lakh villages free of child marriage by 2026, offering every child greater opportunities and a secure future. The 100-day plan will run until International Women’s Day on March 8, 2026.
The campaign will be implemented in phases. The first phase focuses on awareness generation through schools, colleges, and educational institutions. The second phase targets religious venues and marriage-related service providers, including temples, mosques, churches, gurdwaras, wedding halls, and band parties. The third phase emphasizes community-level engagement and ownership through gram panchayats and municipal wards, aiming to strengthen local mechanisms to prevent child marriages and ensure sustained impact.
