Assam NGO vows to make Lakhimpur child marriage-free within one year
North Lakhimpur: An NGO has vowed to make Assam's Lakhimpur district completely free from child marriage.
Raja Padi, District Project Coordinator of Assam Centre for Rural Development, stated this in a press release today.
According to Padi, Assam Centre for Rural Development will work closely with state agencies to declare Lakhimpur child marriage-free within a year, following the Government of India's 100-Day Intensive Action Plan aimed at eradicating child marriage nationwide.
The '100 Days Intensive Awareness Campaign', launched to mark one year of Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat, outlines a targeted strategy focusing on schools and educational institutions, religious places where marriages are solemnised, marriage-related service providers, and panchayats and municipal wards to ensure an end to this centuries-old crime against children.
Assam Centre for Rural Development is a partner of Just Rights for Children (JRC), India's largest network of over 250 organisations working to end child marriage in 451 districts.
In the last year alone, the network prevented over one lakh child marriages across the country.
To mark one year of the 'Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat' campaign launched on November 27, 2024, Assam Centre for Rural Development has conducted awareness programmes across schools, institutions, and village communities, and organised pledge ceremonies throughout Lakhimpur district.
The NGO also sensitised communities about the provisions of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, explaining that service providers such as caterers, guests, tent providers, and faith leaders who solemnise child marriages are liable for punishment.
Working with law enforcement agencies and the district administration over the last few years, the NGO has already stopped 180 child marriages in the past year alone.
The 100-day Intensive Awareness Campaign, divided into three phases, will conclude on March 8, 2026, which also marks International Women's Day.
The first phase, until December 31, will focus on awareness generation through schools, colleges, and educational institutes.
The second phase, from January 1 to January 31, 2026, will target religious places and marriage-related service providers, including temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras, wedding halls, and band parties.
In the third and final phase, until March 8, the focus will shift to gram panchayats and municipal wards to strengthen community-level engagement and ownership.