Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA), led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kailash Satyarthi, is actively working towards eliminating child marriages in India by 2030. In collaboration with the Home Department of the Uttarakhand government, BBA organized a state consultation to address this critical issue.
Radha Raturi, the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) for the state, highlighted the necessity for collective efforts among all stakeholders to combat child marriage. She stressed the importance of education as a fundamental tool to eradicate this harmful practice and ensure the well-being of vulnerable children. The goal is to establish a collective action plan that will protect children from the injustices of child marriage.
During the event, stakeholders engaged in discussions and established a roadmap to make Uttarakhand a child marriage-free state. Dhananjay Tingal, the Executive Director of BBA, mentioned that last year, more than 76,000 women in 7,028 villages across India protested against child marriage on a single day. He emphasized the need for a comprehensive and multifaceted strategy to combat and eliminate child marriage.
The 2011 census revealed that out of the 5,157,863 girls in India, approximately 54,858 were married before the age of 18 in Uttarakhand. The National Family Health Survey-V (NFHS 2019-21) reported that 23.3% of women aged 20-24 across India were married before turning 18. In contrast, Uttarakhand had a lower figure, with 9.8% of women in the same age group being married before 18. This issue is of great concern and requires immediate action to protect young girls from the harmful practice of child marriage.
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