UN Declares November 27 As ‘International Day For Elimination Of Child, Early & Forced Marriage’

The United Nations has designated November 27 as the International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage, bringing renewed global attention to efforts aimed at ending the practice by 2030.

Sierra Leone steered the resolution, which India supported. The date carries particular significance for India because the government launched its ‘Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat’ campaign on November 27, 2024.

The UN’s decision comes as countries work towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, which include eliminating child, early and forced marriage by 2030.

Although India has recorded a decline in underage marriage, official data show that the practice remains widespread. The National Family Health Survey-5, conducted between 2019 and 2021, found that 23.3 per cent of women aged 20 to 24 had married before turning 18. The figure declined to 20.1 per cent in NFHS-6 for 2023-24.

Bhuwan Ribhu, founder of Just Rights for Children, welcomed the resolution and said it offered India an opportunity to lead global efforts against child marriage. Ribhu, who advocated for a dedicated international day and worked closely on drafting the resolution, attended the UN proceedings as a civil society representative.

"India is the Vishwaguru of child protection today. The Child Marriage Free India campaign, which started first by the children and communities and was subsequently supported and scaled by the Government, with over 25 crore people coming together and taking a pledge on 27th November 2024, has today become an International Day accepted by the world," an elated 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,” Ribhu added.

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.