UN Declares November 27 International Day For Elimination Of Child Marriage

India’s efforts to eliminate child marriage have received international recognition, with the United Nations declaring November 27 as the International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage.

The date marks the launch of India’s ‘Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat’ campaign in 2024.

The initiative for a dedicated international day was led by Bhuwan Ribhu, founder of Just Rights for Children (JRC).

During his address at the United Nations in March 2026, Ribhu called for a UN resolution to establish a global day against child marriage.

Sierra Leone subsequently led the resolution at the United Nations General Assembly.

Sierra Leone led the resolution, which 67 countries, including India, supported before the UN adopted it.

During the presentation, the First Lady of Sierra Leone, Dr Fatima Maada Bio, acknowledged JRC’s contribution to the initiative.

Ribhu attended the adoption of the resolution with the UN delegation and was the only civil society representative present. Welcoming the decision, he said the recognition was a significant moment for India’s efforts to end child marriage and called for stronger global action to achieve the goal by 2030.

National data indicate a decline in child marriage in India.

According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), 23.3% of women aged 20-24 were married before the age of 18 during 2019-21.

The figure declined to 20.1% in NFHS-6 for 2023-24. The Government of India has set a target of reducing the prevalence of child marriage by 10% by 2026, with efforts aimed at bringing the rate below 15% by the end of the year.

The global commitment aims to eliminate child marriage by 2030. This goal is linked to Target 5.3 of Sustainable Development Goal 5, which calls for an end to harmful practices, including child, early and forced marriage.

The ‘Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat’ campaign has inspired efforts outside India.

The ‘Child Marriage Free Nepal’ campaign launched in December 2024 through JRC’s efforts.

According to JRC, the movement has expanded to more than 99 countries. More than 250 million people have taken pledges to help end child marriage in their communities and countries.

Between December 2025 and March 2026, JRC conducted the 100-day ‘Child Marriage Free World’ campaign. The campaign sought to engage governments across 100 countries and reach one lakh schools.

JRC said its partners in India work with governments, law-enforcement agencies, schools, panchayats, communities and other stakeholders across 782 districts.

The network said its partners have prevented more than 5,50,000 child marriages in India.

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