Nationwide drive against child marriage launched

The campaign was launched on Sunday with another Nobel Peace Laureate, Leymah Gbowee, at a public meeting in Navrangpura village in Rajasthan’s Virat Nagar, over 2 hours north of Jaipur.

Highlighting the plight of the child marriage survivors, Satyarthi said: “Child marriage is a violation of human rights and dignity, which unfortunately still has social acceptance. This social evil propels an unending list of crimes against children, especially against our daughters. A few weeks ago, I put out a call to make India child-marriage free. This spark ignited the flames of 70,000 women change-makers, proof that millions of women have felt suffocated by this age-old oppressive societal custom.”

“I support the government’s proposal to increase the marriageable age of girls from 18 to 21 years. I call upon faith leaders to speak out and ensure that all those who perform weddings, even at the village level, do not perpetuate this crime against children. I call on all caterers, decorators, banquet hall owners, bands and others to not provide their services for these weddings and not indulge in this criminal act. For those who are stopping child marriage, you are not alone. I am with you. As your brother, I will protect and support you in every possible manner. I will not leave your side in this fight,” he said.

The ‘Child Marriage Free India’ campaign has three major objectives — to ensure the strict implementation of law; to enhance participation of children and women and ensure their empowerment through giving them free education till the age of 18; and to provide safety to children against sexual exploitation. Gbowee said: “Child marriage is an appalling practice that exists globally. We must put an end to this human rights violation. Our collective humanity demands this.”

Government agencies, including Railway Protection Force, Women and Child Development Department of 14 states, state child protection authorities, state legal services authorities, anganwadis and district administration of several state governments joined the campaign, the KSCF said. Many from various walks of life, including women leaders, medical professionals, lawyers, teachers, academicians, rights activists and students joined the torchlight procession and lit lamps across the country.

As per Census 2011, over 12 million child marriages were reported in the country.