Andhra: Child Marriage Mukti Rath reaches out to 43 lakh people in Andhra Pradesh

Vijayawada: The Bal Vivad Mukti Rath, a month-long awareness campaign against child marriage, concluded on Sunday, International Women’s Day, after reaching over 4.34 million people across 2,464 villages in Andhra Pradesh. Organized by Just Rights for Children as part of the Government of India’s larger 100-day campaign to end child marriage, the Rath traveled 38,132 km across the state, spreading awareness about laws against child marriage and promoting the need for a child marriage-free society. Jyoti Mathur, Senior Advisor (Policy) at Just Rights for Children, said the campaign received support from politicians, civil society groups, police officers, religious leaders, and women survivors, who transcended political and social differences to strengthen efforts to eliminate child marriage by 2030. She said 10,244 awareness activities, including rallies, street plays, oath ceremonies, and cultural programs, were organized during the campaign. The initiative also involved 4,473 religious institutions and 8,826 schools and colleges, with 12,888 religious leaders participating in awareness programmes.