Overview

• The Just Rights for Children report released at a UNGA side event estimates child marriage declined 69% for girls and 72% for boys in sampled areas between 2022 and 2025.
• Assam recorded the largest drop for girls at 84%, with Maharashtra and Bihar around 70%, Rajasthan at 66%, and Karnataka at 55%, reflecting uneven progress by state.
• The field survey covered 757 villages in five states, interviewing 1,042 frontline workers, and found 707 villages reported instances of child marriage.
• Respondents overwhelmingly identified poverty as the main driver, reported near-universal awareness of the Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat campaign, and cited arrests and FIRs as strong deterrents.
• Official Sample Registration System data show persistence, with 2.1% of 2023 weddings involving a girl bride and higher rural prevalence than urban, while West Bengal and Jharkhand saw increases in share over 2019–2023.