For activists who have spent years trying to keep girls in classrooms rather than in early marriages, the announcement carried real weight. Non-Governmental Organisations and child rights campaigners in Andhra Pradesh have welcomed the United Nations' decision to declare November 27 as the International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage — a global marker they believe can add urgency to India's own battle against the practice.
Key facts
- The U.N. has declared November 27 as the International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage.
- NFHS data shows 23.3% of women aged 20-24 were married before 18 in the 2019-21 survey; the figure stood at 20.1% in the 2023-24 NFHS.
- The Centre has set a target to reduce child marriages by 10% in 2026, activist Bhuwan Ribhu said.
- Advocate P. Rajya Lakshmi has sought an awareness action plan for schools and colleges on the health and legal consequences of child marriage.
The numbers behind the fight
The data offers hope, but also a sobering reminder of the road ahead. According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS, 2019-21), 23.3% of women aged 20-24 were married before 18 years — a share that stood at 20.1% in the 2023-24 NFHS, said Child Rights Advocacy Foundation (CRAF) State Programme Director P. Francis Thambi.
| Survey | Women aged 20-24 married before 18 |
|---|---|
| NFHS 2019-21 | 23.3% |
| NFHS 2023-24 | 20.1% |
The decline is real. Yet it still means roughly one in five young women was married as a child — a statistic campaigners say should keep the issue firmly on the front burner.
A national target for 2026
The Centre has set a target to reduce child marriages by 10% in 2026, said JRC founder and international child rights activist Bhuwan Ribhu. For those on the ground, the new U.N. day offers a fixed point each year around which that push can be measured, publicised and energised.
Calls for strict observance
Advocate P. Rajya Lakshmi, who has been fighting against child and forced marriages, urged the government to take measures for strict observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriages on November 27.
"An action plan should be prepared to create awareness among students in schools and colleges on the health and legal consequences of child marriages," Ms. Lakshmi said on Saturday.
Her demand captures the mood across Andhra Pradesh's child rights community: a date on the U.N. calendar matters only if it echoes in classrooms, village councils and homes where such decisions are still made for children. For the activists who welcomed the recognition, November 27 is not an endpoint — it is a lever.
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