Significant Advances in Child Protection in Kamrup District in 2025

Progress in Child Protection Efforts

Palasbari, Jan 31: The year 2025 saw notable advancements in child protection initiatives within Kamrup district, thanks to the collaborative efforts of the district administration, law enforcement, and civil society organizations. These coordinated actions resulted in the prevention of 350 child marriages and the rescue of 10 children from trafficking.

Data from the Assam Centre for Rural Development (ACRD), which collaborates closely with local authorities, indicates that all 10 rescued children were girls who had been trafficked. These successful interventions were made possible through prompt reporting, community vigilance, and effective coordination with police and child protection agencies.

ACRD is affiliated with Just Rights for Children (JRC), one of the largest child protection networks in India, comprising over 250 NGOs operating in 451 districts nationwide. JRC focuses on safeguarding children's rights and preventing crimes against them through its three-pronged approach: prevention, protection, and prosecution.

Since January 2025, JRC partners across India have collectively prevented 198,628 child marriages and rescued 55,146 children from trafficking. Among the rescued, 40,830 were boys and 14,316 were girls, with 42,217 formal cases of child trafficking initiated during this timeframe.

Prerna Changkakati, Executive Director of the Assam Centre for Rural Development, emphasized the significance of grassroots collaboration, stating, "2025 was a pivotal year for child protection. Our strong partnerships with district administrations, police, local councils, and educators have made a tangible impact. While rescuing children is vital, it is merely the first step. We must ensure their rehabilitation, re-enrollment in schools, and support for vulnerable families through welfare programs to break the cycles of poverty, child labor, and child marriage."

In collaboration with other JRC partners, the organization aims to eradicate child marriage by 2030, rescue children from labor exploitation, and identify cases of inter-district and inter-state trafficking for labor, marriage, and sexual exploitation. The network works closely with various law enforcement agencies, including the Railway Protection Force, to facilitate timely interventions and rescues.

Recognizing the essential role of faith leaders in officiating marriages, the JRC network has engaged over 300,000 religious leaders from diverse faiths across the nation to raise awareness that child marriage is a criminal offense and not endorsed by any religion. In Kamrup district, numerous religious institutions have put up posters declaring that child marriage is forbidden on their premises.