Prayatn Sanstha, in collaboration with the British Asian Trust and with the support of the District Administration, organized an awareness and pledge campaign on 2nd October 2025 in Bharatpur, Rajasthan, under the Child Marriage Free Rajasthan initiative. The campaign aimed to strengthen community ownership in ending child marriage by spreading awareness on the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006.
The event began with awareness activities and pledge ceremonies organized across 18 Gram Panchayats, where local communities and government representatives came together to raise awareness against child marriage. A total of 1308 persons, including key government public servants, actively participated and took a collective pledge to build child marriage free villages.
The campaign emphasized that child marriage is not only an age-old social evil but also a crime that robs children of their childhood and violates their basic human rights. It highlighted the challenges faced by minor girls who are forced into marriage and subjected to mental trauma, physical and biological stress, limited access to education, and increased vulnerability to domestic violence.
The campaign also focused on the severe consequences of child marriage, including early pregnancies leading to health complications, maternal and infant mortality, malnutrition among both mother and child, disruption in girls’ education, reduced opportunities for personal and professional development, limited decision-making power, and mental health issues.
It further drew attention to India’s Census 2011, which revealed that 12 million children were married before attaining the legal age, including 5.2 million girls. The campaign linked these realities with Target 5.3 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which calls for the elimination of all harmful practices, such as child, early, and forced marriage, by 2030.
