Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat Abhiyan

• 12 Jan 2026

For Prelims: Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, UN Sustainable Development Goal, Article 21, UNICEF 

For Mains: Child marriage as a social and developmental challenge in India, Socio-economic determinants of child marriage

Source: TH 

Why in News?

The Union government recently marked one year of the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (BVMB) by launching a nationwide 100-day awareness campaign, reaffirming India’s commitment to the United Nations target of ending child marriage by 2030. 

Summary 

• Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat Abhiyan represents India’s shift from a purely legal response to a preventive, community-driven, and technology-enabled strategy to eliminate child marriage by 2030, aligned with SDG 5.3. 
• Despite significant decline in prevalence, deep-rooted socio-economic, educational, and gender inequalities continue to sustain child marriage, necessitating a holistic CHAINS–BREAK approach combining education, enforcement, economic security, awareness, and protection. 

What is Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat Abhiyan?

• About: BVMB was launched in 2024 by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, to eliminate child marriage and make India child marriage-free by 2030.  
  • It reflects India’s commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5.3 and marks a shift from a purely legal response to a prevention- and community-driven approach. 
• Objectives: The campaign aims to reduce the prevalence of child marriage by 10% by 2026 and completely eradicate the practice by 2030.  
  • Its broader goal is to protect children’s rights, delay the age of marriage, promote girls’ education, and address the social norms and economic vulnerabilities that sustain early marriage. 
• Legal and Constitutional Foundation of BVMB: It is grounded in Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to life and dignity, and is supported by the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act (PCMA), 2006.  
  • It is further strengthened by the Supreme Court’s judgment in Society for Enlightenment and Voluntary Action & Anr v. Union of India & Ors (2024), which emphasised prevention, banned child betrothals, and directed States to create stronger institutional mechanisms against child marriage. 
• Key Components of the BVM: The Abhiyan rests on dedicated Child Marriage Prohibition Officers (CMPOs) at district and sub-district levels, a technology-enabled BVMB portal for real-time reporting and monitoring, and large-scale community engagement involving schools, Anganwadis, Panchayats, NGOs, youth groups, and religious leaders. 
• Progress under BVMB: The campaign has led to proactive prevention through awareness drives, counselling, injunctions, and rapid response systems.  
  • International organisations like UNICEF have provided technical support, while model successes such as Balod district of Chhattisgarh becoming India’s first child marriage-free district and Surajpur of Chhattisgarh declaring 75 child marriage-free panchayats highlight the impact of sustained local action. 

What is Child Marriage? 

• About: Child marriage refers to a marital union where one or both parties are below the legally prescribed age of marriage.  
  • In India, this means a girl below 18 years or a boy below 21 years, as defined under the PCMA, 2006.  
  • Under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, sexual relations with a wife below 18 years amount to rape, and the Supreme Court has clarified that penetrative sexual assault by the husband of a child bride constitutes aggravated penetrative sexual assault punishable under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, making child marriage not only a social evil but also a criminal offence. 
• Global Prevelance of  Child Marriages: Ending child marriage is a core target under the UN SDG 5, which seeks to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.  
  • Target 5.3 specifically calls for eliminating child, early, and forced marriage, along with other harmful practices. 
  • Progress is measured by the share of women aged 20–24 married before 18. 
  • Despite efforts, in 2023, UNICEF estimated that around 64 crore girls worldwide were married in childhood. 
    • The practice is most prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and parts of Latin America and the Middle East. 
  • Experts warn that without much faster progress (nearly 20 times the current pace), the world will miss the 2030 target and fall short on several other development goals related to health, education, poverty, and gender equality. 
• India and Child Marriages:  India has sharply reduced child marriage from 47.4% in 2005–06 to 23.3% in 2019–21, according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) (2019-2021), though progress slowed after 2015–16.  
  • However, India accounts for nearly one-third of the world’s child brides. 
  • Large regional disparities persist, with the highest rates in West Bengal, Bihar, and Tripura, and the lowest in Lakshadweep, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Goa, and Nagaland. 
  • Sharp disparities exist by education and income: 48% of girls with no education marry before 18 compared to 4% with higher education, while 40% from the poorest households marry early versus 8% from the richest.

What are the India’s Initiatives to Curb Child Marriage? 

• Legal Framework:  
  • PCMA, 2006 Defines child as a male under 21 years or female under 18 years, makes child marriage a cognizable and non-bailable offence, and allows annulment of child marriages. 
    • It prescribes punishment for adult groom and those who abet or perform the marriage. 
  • POCSO Act, 2012: Criminalises sexual relations with a wife below 18 years of age, treating them as rape and other sexual offences under the Act. 
• Major Campaign: 
  • Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP): Promotes girls’ education and empowerment; indirectly delays age of marriage by improving school retention 
• Socio-Economic Incentives:  
  • Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana: Encourages savings for girl child’s education and future, reducing economic pressure for early marriage 
  • Kanyashree Prakalpa (West Bengal): Annual scholarship (13–18 years) and one-time grant (18–19 years) if the girl remains unmarried and continues education 
  • Kalyana Lakshmi / Shaadi Mubarak (Telangana): Financial assistance for marriage only if the bride is 18+ years, discouraging child marriage. 
• Institutional Mechanisms: 
  • Childline 1098: 24×7 emergency helpline to rescue children at risk of forced or early marriage 
  • Child Welfare Committees (CWCs): Quasi-judicial bodies deciding care, protection, rehabilitation, and best interest of rescued children. 

What are the Key Challenges in Ending Child Marriage in India and Measures to Eliminate It?

Child marriage continues because children remain trapped in CHAIN of poverty, patriarchy, and weak institutions. Breaking these constraints requires a BREAK-based strategy focused on education, enforcement, economic security, awareness, and protection. 

Challenges (CHAIN)	Way Forward (BREAK)
Cultural Norms & Traditions: Social acceptance of early marriage, driven by honour, caste norms, and child betrothals, remains a major challenge as it normalises the practice and weakens legal enforcement.	Boost Girls’ Education: Schemes like Samagra Shiksha and the National Scheme of Incentive to Girls for Secondary Education improve retention in secondary schooling, the strongest deterrent to early marriage (NFHS-5).
Household Poverty: Economic insecurity push families to view early marriage as a survival strategy to reduce financial burden and dowry-related pressures	Reform and Strengthen Enforcement: The proposal to raise the minimum age of marriage for women to 21 years seeks to promote higher education, skill development, labour force participation, and further discourage child marriages.  The BVMB strengthens enforcement through full-time CMPOs, district monitoring, and real-time reporting
Access Gaps in Education: Limited access to quality secondary education and high dropout rates increase vulnerability to child marriage, especially among rural and marginalised girls.	Economic Support to Families: Livelihood and social security schemes such as DAY-NRLM and National Social Assistance Programme reduce poverty-driven early marriages by stabilising household incomes.
Ineffective Implementation of Laws: Weak enforcement of child marriage laws, overburdened officials, and low conviction rates dilute deterrence and allow the practice to continue unchecked.	Awareness and Community Ownership: Programmes like Poshan Abhiyaan and Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram leverage Anganwadis and peer educators to change norms and delay marriage.
Normative Gender Inequality: Deep-rooted gender inequality restricts girls’ autonomy and prioritises early marriage over education, reinforcing patriarchal control over female sexuality.  Fears of harassment, violence, or social backlash compel families to marry girls early as a perceived means of protection.	Keep girls Safe and Empowered: Initiatives such as Mission Shakti and the Scheme for Adolescent Girls strengthen safety, life skills, and health support, enabling girls to resist early marriage.

Conclusion 

India’s fight against child marriage has evolved from early social reform movements led by Raja Rammohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, and Mahatma Jyotirao Phule to a robust legal and institutional framework. Contemporary initiatives like BVMB build on this legacy through prevention, technology, and community action. With sustained collective effort, India can realise a child marriage–free future aligned with dignity, equality, and development.

Drishti Mains Question:

Despite legal prohibition, child marriage persists in India. Examine the socio-economic and institutional factors responsible and suggest a way forward. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

1. What is Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat Abhiyan? 
A national campaign launched in 2024 to eliminate child marriage by 2030 through prevention, community engagement, and technology-enabled monitoring.

2. Which law primarily governs child marriage in India? 
The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, which defines legal age, provides penalties, and enables prevention mechanisms.

3. What did the Supreme Court rule in 2024 on child marriage? 
It banned child betrothals, emphasised prevention over punishment, and directed States to strengthen institutional enforcement.

4. What does NFHS data reveal about child marriage in India? 
Child marriage declined to 23.3% (2019–21) but remains high among poorer, less-educated, and certain regional populations.

UPSC Civil Services Examination Previous Year Question (PYQ) 

Q. Examine the main provisions of the National Child Policy and throw light on the status of its implementation. (2016).

Q. Customs and traditions suppress reason leading to obscurantism. Do you agree? (2020)