NITI Aayog Collaborates to Make 15,000 Villages Child Marriage Free

New Delhi, Jan 18 (NationPress) NITI Aayog has partnered with the Association for Voluntary Action (AVA) to announce a remarkable initiative aimed at declaring 15,000 villages across the nation as ‘child marriage free’ within the next year. This partnership is designed to prioritize the most vulnerable areas of India in order to safeguard, empower, and educate children.

A Statement of Intent (SoI) was established between NITI Aayog and AVA to specifically target aspirational blocks in 73 districts. The objective is to shield children from exploitation, including child labour, trafficking, and early marriages, while creating Bal Surakshit Grams as protective havens for at-risk children in these regions.

This initiative aligns with the Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP), initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018, which seeks to uplift the 112 most underdeveloped districts in the country.

Within the framework of the two-year SoI, a thorough strategy will be rolled out to empower young girls and enhance the educational landscape in some of India’s most marginalized and underserved regions.

Marriage and migration registers will be set up at the Panchayat level in all targeted villages to effectively monitor and prevent instances of child marriage and trafficking.

Children who are vulnerable or out of school will be connected to educational and skill development avenues, while families at risk will be linked to existing governmental social welfare programs.

“Today marks a proud moment as we take a crucial step towards empowering the most vulnerable segments of our society. Through collaborative efforts, we aspire to make these blocks free from child marriage by the end of 2025, setting a benchmark for others to follow. This partnership demonstrates our shared commitment to safeguarding every child's right to safety, education, and dignity, and to eradicate crimes like child marriage,” stated Dhananjay Tingal, Executive Director of AVA.

“Genuine child protection can only materialize through the unified efforts of government entities, civil society organizations, and communities working together at every level—district, block, and state,” added Tingal.

NITI Aayog will collaborate with state governments, central ministries, and other vital stakeholders at the district, block, and village levels, while AVA will focus on identifying affected families. Additionally, AVA will work alongside district administrations, state governments, and central ministries to implement timely interventions and create a comprehensive database to monitor the progress of each child and vulnerable family in real-time, among other initiatives.

This initiative will also engage India Child Protection, an affiliate of AVA that specializes in tackling child sexual abuse, exploitation, and trafficking in the digital domain. India Child Protection will enhance the project through strategic measures, including research, training, and monitoring.