Global Initiative Launched: November 27 Declared as International Day to Combat Child Marriage

In a landmark decision, the UN General Assembly has declared November 27 as the International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early, and Forced Marriage. Co-sponsored by India and led by Sierra Leone, this resolution aims to combat child marriage globally. The initiative, part of the 'Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat' campaign, seeks to reduce child marriage rates significantly by 2026 and eliminate the practice entirely by 2030. Advocates emphasize the need for comprehensive action from governments and communities to protect the rights and futures of girls worldwide. This resolution marks a crucial step in the fight against child marriage, highlighting its impact on gender equality and human rights.

By Narendra Chaudhary Sep 6, 2026, 12:56 IST

UN Resolution Marks a New Era in the Fight Against Child Marriage

United Nations: India has played a significant role in co-sponsoring a resolution at the UN General Assembly, which designates November 27 as the International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early, and Forced Marriage.

The resolution, titled 'International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage', was unanimously adopted by the 193-member UN General Assembly, with Sierra Leone leading the initiative.

India was among the countries that supported this important resolution.

The campaign 'Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat', also referred to as Child Marriage Free India, was launched on November 27, 2024, with the goal of reducing child marriage rates by 10% by 2026 and achieving a child marriage-free India by 2030.

Sierra Leone's First Lady, Fatima Maada Bio, who is also the President of the Organization of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD), along with Bhuwan Ribhu, the founder of Just Rights for Children, were instrumental in advocating for a global day dedicated to ending child marriage.

"Today signifies a pivotal moment where the global community has united in a single voice—No More. This marks the start of action, beginning on November 27," Ribhu stated following the resolution's adoption.

In March 2026, during a speech at the United Nations, Ribhu reiterated the call for a UN resolution, supported by international leaders including Maada Bio.

He emphasized that the International Day would serve as a global reminder for accountability and collective action from governments, civil society, faith leaders, educational institutions, communities, and children.

Sierra Leone, with the backing of approximately 70 nations, including India, spearheaded the resolution to establish November 27 as a global day focused on eradicating child marriage.

Ribhu further noted that the resolution's adoption necessitates decisive actions from governments worldwide, including comprehensive legislation, budgeted national action plans, and the involvement of children alongside community and faith leaders, law enforcement, and judicial systems to dismantle the structures that perpetuate child marriage.

The resolution encourages Member States to formulate and execute comprehensive, multisectoral national strategies and action plans aimed at ending child, early, and forced marriage.

It urges nations to invest in quality education for all girls, including programs that allow married girls and young women to continue or return to their studies, and to empower women and girls as a fundamental strategy for prevention.

The resolution acknowledges that child, early, and forced marriage is a harmful practice that violates human rights, disproportionately impacting women and girls, particularly those in vulnerable situations, and jeopardizing their education, health, economic opportunities, and overall human rights.

Just Rights for Children (JRC) stated that the resolution's adoption by the UN General Assembly is a significant milestone in the global movement to end child marriage and highlights the growing international consensus that child marriage constitutes a crime and a form of child sexual abuse.

JRC is a global network dedicated to child rights, striving to eliminate all forms of child exploitation and ensuring that every child can enjoy a safe, healthy, and dignified childhood. Since 2023, the network has successfully prevented over 550,000 child marriages.

In her address to the General Assembly prior to the resolution's adoption, Maada Bio emphasized that child, early, and forced marriage remains a major obstacle to gender equality, human rights, and sustainable development.

"It undermines girls' education, threatens their health and well-being, increases their vulnerability to violence and exploitation, and limits their economic opportunities, perpetuating intergenerational poverty while preventing millions of girls from contributing to their society's social and economic development," she stated.

"Forcing a girl into marriage robs her of her childhood, choices, opportunities, and often the future she could have built for her family, community, and country."

She concluded by stating that the support from nations co-sponsoring the resolution sends a powerful message to girls everywhere: their rights, dignity, and future are non-negotiable.