Gujarat Targets 17 High-Risk Districts to Make them Child Marriage Free in One Year

Surat | Gujarat — Giving a powerful new momentum to India’s goal to become child marriage free by 2030, Just Rights for Children (JRC) has announced an intensive drive to make one lakh villages child marriage free within the next one year. These villages fall within the districts identified as high-prevalence areas under the National Family Health Survey V (2019-21) nationally. Out of these, villages from 17 districts in Gujarat have been chosen for the intensive intervention. The announcement coincides with the first anniversary of the Government of India’s ‘Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat’ campaign, when the government launched a 100-day action plan as part of the nationwide campaign. 

Just Rights for Children, a network of over 250 NGO partners across the country, works with 6 partners in the state. In the last one year alone, the network prevented 3321 child marriages in Gujarat. Just Rights for Children is the largest such network of civil society organisations working for child protection and with coordinated efforts of its partners, the network has stopped more than one lakh child marriages nationwide in the last one year.

As per the NFHS V, prevalence of child marriage in Gujarat is at 21.8 percent which is lower than the national average of 23.3 percent. However, huge disparity in the situation remains in different districts with some districts at much higher levels. For instance, in Kheda district prevalence of child marriage is at 49.2 percent. Seven districts which includes Banaskantha, Patan, Panchmahals, Gandhinagar, Mahesana, Mahisagar and Dang have the prevalence of over 30 percent. Seven other districts have a prevalence of child marriage between 23 and 29.9 percent.

Extending complete support to the government’s campaign and sharing JRC’s roadmap for the year ahead, Bhuwan Ribhu, Founder of Just Rights for Children, said, “The role of community groups, faith leaders, panchayats and citizens is central to building a child marriage free India. The Government’s Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat campaign has become a model for the world. It also stands as a celebration of our collective work to end this crime against children. Last year, more than one lakh child marriages were stopped or prevented, showing that when society comes together, change is inevitable. Next year, together we pledge to make one lakh villages child marriage free so that every child has opportunities and a secure future. This momentum matters as India moves toward the larger vision of a Viksit Bharat.”

Just Rights for Children has been using the 3P model of Protection, Prevention and Prosecution to stop child marriages across the country and has prevented 4,35,205 child marriages between 1 April 2023 and 14 November 2025. Through legal interventions and widespread awareness on child marriage laws in communities, schools, among faith leaders and marriage service providers, the network has driven a major shift in how child marriage is perceived and tolerated in India. 

To mark the successful completion of one year of Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat, which takes forward Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘Vikshit Bharat’, the Ministry for Women and Child Development has launched ‘100 Days Intensive Campaign Plan’ as part of the ‘Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat’ campaign. The 100-day action plan concludes on International Women’s Day on 8th March, 2026. To be followed at state, district as well village levels, the plan is divided into 3 phases. During the first phase, the focus would be on awareness generation through schools, colleges and educational institutes.

Religious places and marriage-related service providers including temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras, wedding halls, and band parties would be in focus in the second spell, and gram panchayats and municipal wards to strengthen community-level engagement and ownership would be part of the third phase. Responding to the notification, Gujarat government has asked all the field functionaries and officials of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Panchayati Raj, Ministry of Rural Development, Department of School Education and Literacy and Department of Higher Education to actively participate and make this campaign impactful.