Hyderabad: As many as 1,089 child marriages were prevented during the 100-day intensive awareness campaign conducted across Telangana as part of the central govt’s Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat (BVMB) initiative.The campaign concluded on Sunday and was carried out from Nov 27, 2025, coinciding with the first anniversary of the BVMB programme. In Telangana, the campaign was led by the Bal Vivah Mukti Rath, a mobile outreach programme that took the message directly to communities.It covered over 4,800 villages and reached more than 22 lakh people, raising awareness of the legal consequences and social impact of child marriage. The initiative mobilised communities, local institutions, and youth groups, leading to increased reporting and timely intervention that helped prevent over a thousand child marriages during the campaign.The initiative focused heavily on grassroots engagement. A total of 31,209 awareness activities were organised across the state, including rallies, nukkad nataks (street plays), pledge ceremonies, cultural programmes and community meetings. Several events also featured survivors of child marriage sharing their experiences, highlighting the long-term impact of early marriage on education, health and livelihoods.Educational institutions formed a significant part of the outreach programme. The campaign reached 5,363 schools and colleges, engaging over 5.3 lakh students and teachers in discussions about children’s rights, the legal age of marriage, and the importance of continuing education. Religious institutions also played a part, with 3,898 places of worship taking part in the campaign and 4,208 faith leaders joining efforts to raise awareness and discourage child marriage within their communities.According to officials associated with the campaign, the extensive outreach contributed to improved vigilance and reporting at community level. This increased awareness among local residents, teachers, youth groups and community leaders enabled the relevant authorities and activists to intervene in time, preventing 1,089 child marriages during the 100-day campaign period.This intensified campaign comes at a time when child marriage remains a concern in Telangana. According to govt data from 2019 to 2021, the prevalence of child marriage in the state is 23.5%, which is slightly higher than the national average of 23.3%.
