UN declares November 27 day against child marriage, India co-sponsors resolution

The UN General Assembly has declared November 27 as the International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage, with India co-sponsoring the resolution. Campaigners said the annual observance must drive action on schooling, enforcement and accountability.

In Short

• The date coincides with India’s Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat campaign launch
• Ribhu said 66 countries had backed the resolution before adoption
• NFHS-6 found 20.1% women aged 20–24 married before turning 18

The United Nations General Assembly has declared November 27 as the International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage, giving a global platform to efforts to end child marriage. The resolution was adopted by consensus on September 4, with Sierra Leone leading the initiative and India among the co-sponsors.

The date has particular significance for India as it marks the launch of the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat (Child Marriage Free India) campaign in 2024. The campaign has since become part of a wider international push to eliminate child, early and forced marriage.

Bhuwan Ribhu, founder of Just Rights for Children (JRC), said the demand for a dedicated international day was first raised at the UN Commission on the Status of Women in March 2026. He said 66 countries had co-sponsored the resolution before its adoption.

“This is the beginning of the end of child marriage,” Ribhu said during a virtual press briefing, stressing that November 27 should not remain merely a symbolic observance. He said countries would need national action plans, measurable indicators and accountability mechanisms to translate the declaration into action.

India continues to face a significant challenge despite a decline in child marriage. NFHS-6 (2023–24) showed that 20.1% of women aged 20–24 were married before the age of 18, down from 23.3% in NFHS-5 (2019–21).

EDUCATION EFFORTS HAVE HELPED PREVENT 5.5 LAKH CHILD MARRIAGES IN INDIA

Ribhu said poverty, school dropout, social norms and migration often work together to push children into marriage. He argued that keeping children in school should therefore be a key intervention, with attendance monitoring and systems to identify and re-enrol children who drop out.

According to JRC, its partners have prevented or stopped more than 5.5 lakh child marriages in India and helped identify and enrol more than 12 lakh out-of-school children. These figures were shared by the organisation during the briefing.

The new international day is also linked to Sustainable Development Goal 5.3, which calls for the elimination of harmful practices, including child, early and forced marriage, by 2030. The UN resolution calls for stronger laws and enforcement, investment in girls’ education and protection, and greater community participation.

Ribhu said the declaration should now translate into sustained action by governments, schools, local administrations and communities. The annual observance, he said, should be used to measure progress, strengthen accountability and ensure that children at risk of dropping out or being married early are identified and supported.

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