Bhubaneswar: On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Bal Vivah Mukti Rath—a massive awareness campaign against child marriage concluded its journey, travelling 50,543 km across the state and connecting more than 17.7 lakh people.
The campaign on wheels, organised by Just Rights for Children, covered 16,062 villages across Odisha with the message of creating a child marriage-free society.
The campaign was a part of Central government’s 100-day intensive campaign to end child marriage.
Across the country, more than 500 similar vehicles were deployed to mobilise and sensitise communities about the legal and social consequences of child marriage.
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During its month-long journey, the Bal Vivah Mukti Rath conducted 3,383 awareness programmes, including rallies, nukkad nataks, pledge ceremonies, cultural programmes and survivor testimonies.
The campaign reached schools, gram sabhas, religious institutions and historical sites to spread awareness about child rights and protection.
As many as 1,880 schools and colleges and 1,287 religious places were covered during the campaign.
More than 2,289 faith leaders participated, while over 1.33 lakh students and teachers joined the awareness activities.
The campaign received widespread support across the state, with politicians, civil society organisations, and police personnel joining hands to strengthen efforts to eliminate child marriage by 2030.
Despite progress, child marriage remains a concern in Odisha.
According to government data for 2019-21, the state’s child marriage prevalence stands at 20.5 per cent—lower than the national average of 23.3 per cent—but significant disparities persist across districts, with some reporting rates exceeding 30 per cent.
Nationwide, the Bal Vivah Mukti Rath campaign travelled through 66,344 villages, covering nearly 6.79 lakh km and reaching more than 5.22 crore people across 28 states.
The campaign was flagged off in different states by chief ministers, ministers, members of Parliament and district collectors.
The organisation also revealed that in the past year alone, its network and partners helped stop 14,900 child marriages in Odisha through coordinated efforts.