HYDERABAD: The Bal Vivah Mukti Rath, a campaign on wheels aimed at creating awareness against child marriage, reached over 22.17 lakh people across 4,800 villages in Telangana, covering 48,728 km before culminating on International Women’s Day. The campaign also claimed to have prevented 10,518 child marriages in the State in the past year.
Launched by Just Rights for Children as part of the 100 Days Intensive Campaign to End Child Marriage by the Government of India, the initiative travelled across the state for a month, spreading the message of a child marriage-free Telangana.
The campaign received widespread support from politicians, women survivors, civil society groups, police personnel and faith leaders, cutting across political and social lines to strengthen the collective resolve to eliminate child marriage by 2030.
During its journey, the rath organised 31,209 events, including rallies, nukkad nataks, pledge ceremonies and cultural programmes. It also covered 5,363 schools and colleges and 3,898 religious places, engaging 5.38 lakh students and teachers and 4,208 faith leaders in awareness activities.
According to government data for 2019–21, the prevalence of child marriage in Telangana stands at 23.5%, slightly above the national average of 23.3%, with some districts reporting rates as high as 30%.
Senior Adviser (Policy) at Just Rights for Children, Jyoti Mathur, said the campaign symbolised justice and accountability.
“This vehicle is more than a symbol. It carries the promise of law and protection to communities so that intent translates into real action on the ground,” she said.