12/09/2026
Very happy to know that the United Nations has declared 27 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriage. The date has a special connection with India, as the Government of India had launched the national тАШBal Vivah Mukt BharatтАЩ campaign on the same day, 27 November 2024, to work towards a child-marriage-free India.
At KISS, we have always believed that education is one of the strongest ways to protect a girl child from early marriage and give her the confidence to decide her own future. Over the years, we have seen many of our KISSian girls complete their higher education, become independent and marry around the age of 25тАУ26 or later.
KISS has been working on this issue for many years through education, awareness and community outreach. Since 2022, our partnership with Jhpiego has taken this work further through peer education, tribal languages and traditional art forms. This effort also supports the spirit of Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat, launched on 27 November 2024, towards making India free from child marriage.
One of our KISSian girls from Mayurbhanj district of Odisha, herself a survivor of child marriage, is today pursuing higher education at KISS-DU and creating awareness in her own community. Stories like hers show how education can change the course of a girlтАЩs life.
This decision of the United Nations gives more strength to the efforts being made everywhere to end child marriage and protect the future of every girl.