UN Declares November 27 as Child Marriage Elimination Day

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a consensus resolution on 4 September 2026 in New York to declare 27 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early, and Forced Marriage. India co-sponsored the resolution, and the date corresponds with the launch of the national “Child Marriage Free India” campaign on 27 November 2024.

Child Marriage as a Social and Legal Issue

Child marriage refers to a marriage in which at least one of the spouses is below 18 years of age. In India, the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 is the principal law dealing with child marriage, and the legal age of marriage is 18 years for women and 21 years for men under Indian law.

UN General Assembly and International Days

The UN General Assembly is the main deliberative organ of the United Nations and is based at the UN Headquarters in New York. International days are declared by UN resolutions to mark global issues, and 27 November is now linked with efforts against child, early, and forced marriage.

India’s Domestic Campaign and Institutional Context

The Ministry of Women and Child Development launched the “Child Marriage Free India” or “Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat” campaign on 27 November 2024. The campaign date was later used in the UN resolution, and India’s Women and Child Development Minister Annpurna Devi welcomed the adoption of the resolution in September 2026.

Important Facts for Exams

• The UNGA adopted the resolution by consensus on 4 September 2026.
• 27 November is now the International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early, and Forced Marriage.
• The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6) covered the period 2023–2024.
• NFHS-6 recorded child marriage among women aged 20–24 at 20.1%, compared with 23.3% in the 2019–2021 survey.

Key Indian and Civil Society Links

Bhuwan Ribhu, founder of Just Rights for Children, attended the UNGA session as a civil society representative during the adoption. Sierra Leone, led by First Lady Fatima Maada Bio in this initiative, later spearheaded the resolution process at the UN.