AP NGOs welcome the UN’s declaration of November 27 as the Global Day Against Child Marriage

VMM President B. Keerthy along with JRC AP Coordinator B. Chandrasekhar at a press conference in Vijayawada on Sunday. | Photo credit: BY ARRANGEMENT

The UN’s declaration of November 27 as the Global Day Against Child Marriage is an international recognition of the sustained efforts of organizations like Just Rights for Children (JRC), said B. Keerthy, president of Vijayawada-based Vasavya Mahila Mandali (VMM). JRC is a network of non-governmental organizations that works with governments and law enforcement agencies to prevent child marriage across the country.

At a media conference on Sunday (September 6, 2026), Ms. Keerthy said that VMM was a partner in JRC’s long-running campaign for a dedicated international day against child marriage and was involved in a local campaign against child marriage in NTR and Krishna districts. She welcomed the historic UN declaration which was a matter of pride for India when the government launched the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat (Child Marriage Free India) campaign on 27 November 2024 with JRC partners.

“The international commitment must now translate into action at the local level,” she said, stressing that the fight will remain incomplete as long as even a single child is at risk of child marriage. She said the VMM conducted awareness programs in schools, panchayats and villages, encouraged communities to take pledges against child marriage, linked vulnerable families with government welfare programs and worked to bring school dropouts back into the education system. Through legal intervention, VMM prevented 2,175 child marriages in NTR and Krishna districts, she said.

She said SVS founder Bhuvan Ribhu had launched an international campaign for a dedicated global day to end child marriage. In March 2026, he repeated the call for a UN resolution in the presence of international leaders, including the first lady of Sierra Leone, Dr. Fatima Maada Bio, who supported the initiative. Sierra Leone subsequently led the effort at the UN General Assembly with the support of some 67 countries, including India. The resolution was adopted on September 4.

Andhra Pradesh State Coordinator B. Chandrasekhar of the JRC said the organization, in collaboration with partner organizations, worked with governments in 782 Indian districts, mobilizing communities, schools, panchayats, women, police, religious leaders and political leaders. Collective efforts have helped prevent more than 5.5 million child marriages, he said.

Published – 06 Sep 2026 22:59 IST