Nabarangpur,Sept 9 [UDN}: A welcome ceremony was organised today at the Ashok Mehta Conference Hall of the Nabarangpur Collectorate to celebrate and welcome the historic initiative taken by the United Nations towards the elimination of child marriage.
The programme was organised to mark the historic development of the United Nations General Assembly adopting November 27 as the “International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage” on September 4, 2026.
Under the vision and leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, launched the “Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat” (Child Marriage-Free India) Campaign on November 27, 2024. The campaign was led by Hon’ble Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smt. Annapurna Devi, while Minister of State Smt. Savitri Thakur also participated in its launch programme.
The campaign was envisioned as a collective movement involving the entire government machinery and society at large to completely eradicate the social evil of child marriage. Following the completion of one year of the campaign, a nationwide awareness drive was conducted from November 27, 2025, to March 8, 2026.
Schools, village communities, Panchayats, religious and social leaders, and various stakeholders were actively involved in the campaign. Nearly 25 crore citizens took a pledge against child marriage during this nationwide movement.
The movement subsequently reached the international stage. At the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) conference held at the United Nations in March 2026, Shri Bhuwan Ribhu, Founder of Just Rights for Children, called for the declaration of an international day for the elimination of child, early and forced marriage.
He emphasised that a world free from child marriage could only be created through the collective efforts of governments, civil society organisations and communities.
Subsequently, under the leadership of Sierra Leone and with the support of various member states, the proposal progressed at the United Nations. On September 4, 2026, action was taken by the United Nations General Assembly on Draft Resolution A/80/L.99.
The adoption of November 27 as an International Day has further strengthened the global commitment towards eliminating child, early and forced marriage.
The programme organised in Nabarangpur was attended by Additional District Magistrate (Revenue), Shri Biswajit Barman; MLA Representative Smt. Sharmistha Deo; ADEO Shri Supriya Nayak; District Social Welfare Officer Smt. Tanushree Mishra; Protection-cum-Programme Officer Smt. Roma Pattnaik; DLSA Advocate Smt. Kishori Pattnaik; and retired CDPO and social worker Smt. Manorama Majhi, along with district-level officers, teachers, media representatives, Anganwadi workers and representatives of various voluntary and social organisations.
Among others present were Shri Saurabh Upadhyay of the Association for Voluntary Action (AVA), Smt. Uma Satnami of SOVA NGO, representatives of the One Stop Centre (OSC), Child Helpline, Women Helpline, and other stakeholders.
On the occasion, the Additional District Magistrate (Revenue), Nabarangpur, stated that the adoption of November 27 as an International Day by the United Nations was not merely an international achievement but had also increased the collective responsibility of all stakeholders towards eliminating child marriage.
He said:
«“Child marriage cannot be completely prevented through the efforts of the administration alone. Every department, Panchayat, school, frontline worker, parent, social organisation and every citizen must work together. For the safety and rights of children, we must stand together, raise our voices together and act together.”»
At the conclusion of the programme, all stakeholders expressed their collective commitment towards preventing child marriage, ensuring the timely reporting of information, increasing public awareness, promoting girls’ education and empowerment, and further strengthening child protection mechanisms.
“No Child Marriage — Every Child in School — Every Child Safe — Every Child Empowered.”
The programme emphasised that the active cooperation and collective efforts of every section of society would be essential to achieving the campaign’s primary objective of transforming Nabarangpur into a Child Marriage-Free District.
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