Mangaluru: A coalition of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) has joined hands across Karnataka to strengthen village-level surveillance, awareness and legal protection mechanisms aimed at eliminating child marriage.Spearheaded by the Just Rights for Children (JRC) network, the initiative seeks to take the Centre’s ‘Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat’ campaign to the gram panchayat level. The network mobilised more than 300 NGOs across the country following a national convention in New Delhi.In Karnataka, eight partner organisations have divided responsibilities to cover all 31 districts. Mangaluru-based People’s Action for Development (PADI) is overseeing Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. Other partner organisations include Prachodana in Hassan and Shivamogga, Spandana in Belagavi, Sneha in Ballari and Margadarshi in Raichur.The campaign has also received international attention following the United Nations General Assembly’s declaration of Nov 27 as the International Day for the Elimination of Child Marriage, Early and Forced Marriage. The initiative was reportedly championed by JRC founder Bhuvan Ribhu.While awareness initiatives have helped keep the incidence of child marriage relatively low in coastal Karnataka, migrant settlements are emerging as a key area of concern. Many of these workers come from North Karnataka and other States, and their children are considered vulnerable to school dropouts, child labour, trafficking and early marriage.The concerns were highlighted at a recent district-level consultation in Udupi, where DIET principal Dr Ashok Kamath reportedly pointed to instances of teenage pregnancies linked to underage marriages.As part of its intervention, the coalition is working with district administrations to make statutory child protection committees functional in every gram panchayat. The organisations will also monitor migrant households and work to ensure that all adolescents up to the age of 18 remain enrolled in schools or pursue technical education through institutions such as Industrial Training Institutes.“While legislation and administrative mechanisms exist on paper, genuine eradication requires measurable accountability at the gram panchayat level. Our joint initiative focuses on tracking vulnerable school dropouts, empowering local child protection committees and providing sustained legal and rehabilitation support so that no child is pushed into early marriage,” said Reni D’Souza, CEO of PADI.
