UN Declares November 27 International Day for Elimination of Child Marriage

NEW DELHI: In a significant development that brings focus on the need to step up action to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals 2030, the United Nations (UN) has declared November 27 the International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage.

The date carries special significance for India, which backed the resolution steered by Sierra Leone, as it was on Nov 27 that the govt had launched the ‘Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat’ campaign in 2024.

Even though underage marriage has been declining over the decades, the numbers are still a concern calling for greater efforts to eradicate the problem. According to the 2019-21 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), 23.3% of women aged 20-24 were married before the age of 18. This came down to 20.1% in NFHS-6 (2023-24).

Just Rights for Children founder Bhuwan Ribhu, who has been vociferously advocating for a dedicated day and has worked closely with the drafting of the resolution, said that the announcement is very significant for India as it is an opportunity to lead by example and meet the elimination targets.

Welcoming the UN approval for the demand from countries across the world, Ribhu said, “Today marks the tipping point, showing that the end of the crime of child marriage is inevitable and imminent. Now is the time for governments globally to provide decisive leadership to end child marriage by 2030 and ensure education, protection and development of every child to realise their full potential. I am grateful to the First Lady of Sierra Leone for her leadership in championing this cause and would also like to thank the countries that co-sponsored our resolution. “ He was present at the UN as the civil society representative when the UN approved the resolution.

“The Government of India has set a target of reducing the prevalence of child marriage by 10% by 2026. With continued efforts at the national and state levels, the prevalence of child marriage in India is expected to fall below 15% by the end of 2026. The global commitment to eliminate child marriage by 2030 is aligned with target 5.3 of Sustainable Development Goal 5 (Gender Equality), which calls for the elimination of all harmful practices, including child, early, and forced marriage,” Ribhu added.

He shared that plans are afoot to hold extensive outreach campaigns in coordination with the govt and states ahead of November 27 to ensure that the day becomes a space to dwell on progress made and the way forward and does not end up as a symbolic reminder of the problem.