Kolkata, 08 March (H.S.)

A month-long awareness campaign against child marriage in West Bengal culminated on International Women’s Day after a specially designed ‘Bal Vivah Mukti Rath’ travelled over 27,055 kilometres, covering 2,567 villages and reaching more than 1.05 million people, organisers said on Sunday.

The campaign was organised by Just Rights for Children as part of the Government of India’s 100-day intensive drive to end child marriage.

During its journey across the state, the campaign vehicle visited schools, gram sabhas, religious institutions and historical sites, spreading awareness through 827 events, including rallies, street plays, pledge ceremonies, cultural programmes and interactions with survivors.

According to the organisers, the campaign covered 898 schools and colleges and 1,598 religious places, with the participation of 1,66,776 students and teachers and 3,457 faith leaders.

The initiative received support from politicians, civil society groups, police personnel, religious leaders and survivors, who joined hands to strengthen efforts to end child marriage by 2030.

West Bengal Women and Child Development and Social Welfare Minister Shashi Panja had flagged off the campaign in Kolkata earlier last month.

Government data for 2019-21 show that the prevalence of child marriage in West Bengal stands at 41.6 per cent, significantly higher than the national average of 23.3 per cent.

Across India, more than 500 Bal Vivah Mukti Rath vehicles were deployed as part of the campaign, travelling through 66,344 villages, covering 6,79,077 kilometres and reaching over 52.2 million people across 28 states, the organisers said.

Jyoti Mathur, Senior Advisor (Policy) at Just Rights for Children, said the campaign witnessed wide participation from political leaders, administrators, academicians and women survivors.

“This vehicle is more than a symbol. It carries the promise of law, protection and accountability to communities so that intent translates into real protection on the ground,” she said.

The organisation also said that in the past one year alone it helped prevent 11,938 child marriages in West Bengal through coordinated efforts involving partner organisations, local administrations, law enforcement agencies and community stakeholders.

The campaign vehicles were equipped with posters, loudspeakers and pledge-signing boards, and were designed to reach remote and marginalised communities, organisers added.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey