Child marriage and dowry remains as crippling issues within Bihar today. Four out of ten girls are getting married before they turn 18 years. Girls are forced into marriage due to various reasons, however, poverty, tradition and social norms plays an important role in continuing with this practice for years. The effects are damaging and long term. Young girls who are married inevitably become pregnant and may suffer severe health and reproductive issues due to their bodies not having matured. These health issues are not just limited to physical complications such as still births as well as maternal and child mortality, but can also be emotional and psychological.

The Camapaign: Baal Vivah evam Dahej Mukt humara Bihar

The Campaign logo on Child Marriage symbolizes safe and secure environment for the girl child to grow and prosper with worth and dignity. It aspires to make Bihar child marriage free state with equal opportunities to all. The Campaign logo on Dowry symbolizes equity, gender parity and unison in girls and boys to fight out dowry from Bihar. Many international agreements outlaw child marriage, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women. The International Conference on Population and Development in 1994 also called on countries to eliminate child marriage.The Government of Bihar has entrusted the responsibility to the Women Development Corporation (WDC) towards the implement of the Women Empowerment Policy (2015) in Bihar, and now a multi-pronged state-wide Campaign to root out child marriage and dowry. The Women Empowerment Policy clearly articulates the states mandate and commitment to bring gender parity with equal opportunity for women and adolescent girls; for better access to health, nutrition, education and capacity development. In the past few years, the Government of Bihar has remained committed to improve the overall status of women with an increased participation in the governance. Similarly, schemes such as Mukhyamantri Balika Cycle Yojana, Mukhyamantri Protsahan and Poshak Yojana have significantly helped girl’s enrollment, retention and transition to higher classes with greater confidence and mobility. The enhanced educational status amongst girls coupled with women empowerment and effective implementation of the social protection measures have resulted in sharp decline in child marriage ratio over the last 10 years by 17.8 per cent (NFHS-3 = 60.3 & NFHS-4 = 42.5).

Adolescents: The game changers

Girls below eighteen years of age constitute 21.7% of the population of Bihar (Census 2011), which amounts to a significant demographic dividend that the state can capitalise upon in its endeavours to expedite the pace of social change. Investments in furthering the development needs of a girl child have proven to be greatly effective in triggering improvements in a number of important social and development indicators. Despite some encouraging trends and clear linkages of girl’s education and reduced vulnerabilities, the overall poor transition rate especially from 10th grade to 11th (62.3% fall - U-DISE 2015-16) poses some important questions in terms of what happens to those girls who drop out from schools after completing grade 10? With girls staying at home because of one or the other and often a combination of the reasons,“rishtas” (proposals) from aguas (matchmaking relatives and friends) start coming in and marriage becomes inevitable. Also, there continues to be a sentiment within some communities that too much education is not good for the girl child and an increased

The outlined state wide Campaign against Child marriage and dowry aims at serving dual purpose:

The Campaign is a call taken at the highest level by the Hon’ble Chief Minister, Sri Nitish Kumar to eliminate the practices of child marriage and dowry; to make Bihar safe for every girl, not subjected to any form of discrimination and forced into a situation which would jeopardise her well-being. The Campaign is an effort to ensure and mobilize every possible resource at the disposal of the state government with an involvement of each and every stakeholder to remain committed till such social evils are uprooted from Bihar with the following purpose:
1. Promotion of girls as an asset – ensuring asset creation to every adolescent girl with focus on education and prevention from child marriage
2. Promotion of equity with justice – ensuring and creating environment against dowry

Working together:

Recognizing that the effort to end child marriage and dowry requires a collaborative efforts and approaches which are multi-pronged in nature, WDC, GoB is working in close partnership with the Development Partners (DP), the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), Faith based Organizations and media while working in close alliance with all key government departments supporting the voices of change at the state, district and up to village levels. An interface and engagement with community influencers, elders and elected representatives will be critical in building the high impact and greater reach.

Since the launch, different activities have been rolled out under these axes with support from UNICEF. These include design and dissemination of Information, Communication & Education (IEC) and Social Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) material towards creating awareness at a mass scale for the public at large with targeted efforts on communities with the highest prevalence of Child Marriage and Dowry; capacity building of functionaries from relevant government departments; initiating measures towards the strengthening of legislative and governance measures/commitment; and strengthening implementation of Child Marriage and Dowry related legislations.

The Principal Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare holds fortnightly reviews to understand the on-ground convergence between different departments, activities undertaken, progress of the campaign, challenges faced and overall effectiveness. These are minutised meetings with follow up actions drawn-up.
The Chief Secretary takes monthly reviews of the progress of the campaign. There have been two reviews held so far.

Activities rolled out phase I

• 24.2 Million people took an oath to end Child Marriage and Dowry on October 2nd, the day of the campaign launch.
• The oath was taken by Panchayat representatives, students from schools and colleges, government officials and non-government duty bearers , and the general public


• The Chief Minister has issued a letter to all members of the Parliament from Bihar, members of the Legislative Council, members of the Legislative Assembly and Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) members to garner their support and commitment to the state’s ongoing efforts in eliminating Child Marriage and Dowry.
• In collaboration with the Department of Information and Public Relations, mobile vans were used to reach out to 534 blocks across the state within the first week of launch with messaging around the demerits of Child Marriage as part of the sensitization efforts
• WDC in collaboration with the Directorate of Mass Education under the aegis of the Department of Education, each of the 8466 Panchayats under 534 blocks has been given a target of conducting 2 street plays as part of mid-media outreach and awareness efforts.


• Target: 16932 street plays to be organized across 8466 Panchayats
• Achieved: 16932 street plays successfully organized across 8466 Panchayats reaching upto 941450 people.

A total of 1068 hoardings have been put up across 534 blocks (2 hoardings per block), 185 hoardings across 37 district headquarters with the exception of Patna (5 in every district) and 25 hoardings in Patna with information on the ills of Child Marriage and Dowry.

Electronic/Broadcast media leveraged in collaboration with the Department of Information and Public Relations to gain state-wide traction in messaging and outreach.

• 3 radio channels and 3 television channels telecast spots and films respectively after the launch.

Brochures / leaflet (32,000 per dist.) & posters (10200 with 5 different messages per dist.) focusing on awareness regarding related legislations; sensitization on the adverse impact of child marriage; and the social ill of dowry have been developed and disseminated.

• The brochures are disseminated to government functionaries, relevant stakeholders and the public at large through state organized programmes, functions and fairs.
• This in an ongoing effort.

Wall writing : 846600 wall writing depicting slogans on ill effects of child marriage and dowry done across the state.

Tin Plate: 54000 tin plates are displayed across state.

Festivals and prominent occasions have been leveraged for effective outreach

• On Diwali (October 19th) a program on the benefits of eliminating Child Marriage and Dowry was held across 5 Mahadalit hamlets identified in every district of the state
• 15000 Mahadalit families across 190 Mahadalit hamlets were reached out through this effort

On Chhat Puja (October 26th), hoardings were displayed in prominent places including the banks of the river where the festival rituals mainly take place, and important streets

• Chhat puja is one of the main festivals in Bihar where women pray for the wellbeing of the family

On Children’s Day (November 14th) cycle rallies and pedestrian rallies were organized

• Widespread participation from at least two senior secondary schools and one Mahadalit hamlet from every block (? Participation from 1068 Senior Secondary Schools and 534 Mahadalit hamlets)
• 90,000 adolescents took part in the rally and 38000 Mahadalit families were reached out to
• Extensive media coverage on the subject

380 journalists (reporters and photographers) in the state from vernacular and national media sensitized through divisional level workshops

Leveraging collaborations with print media houses in the state for effective outreach

• Hindustan Times – about 1 million households reached out
• Telegraph – about 70 – 80 thousand readers reached out
• Dainik Jagaran: Collaboration with Dainik Jagaran, one of the largest selling dailies in the state to develop and disseminate knowledge kit- ‘Adhira’- on child marriage and dowry. The knowledge kit was released by Mr. Sushil Modi, Deputy Chief Minister, Bihar. ‘Adhira’ will reach out to over 25 lakh people across Bihar through Dainik Jagran, informing and inspiring people to join the movement against the child marriage and dowry. The booklet will also be used as resource material during media sensitization workshops.
• Take Off – A supplement with Times of India was published for creating awareness on issue

Human Chain : Hoardings, Wall writings were displayed for creating awareness on the issue.

• Banners, paper jackets and caps were sent to all districts as mass awareness tools.
• Radio jingles, video spots were broadcasted with support of Information Public Relation Department
• On 21st Jan 2018, 14006 km long human was formed n which 32732008 people participated.

Chief Secretary, Government of Bihar has directed the Home Department to fast track and charge sheet pending investigation for all cases of child marriage, dowry tortures and dowry deaths.

Detailed SOP developed on Child Marriage and Dowry prevention, rehabilitation and rescue for 7 line departments including the Department of Home, Panchayat Raj Institutions, Department of Health, Department of Education, Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe Welfare Department, Department of Rural Development and Department of Social Welfare

• This has been shared with the 7 line departments and has been vetted by them
• Modules to operationalise the SOPs are currently being finalised
• One round of ToT capacity building completed
• 532 functionaries trained at the state level through one day sessions held over a week for representatives from each line department
• Every district now has a pool of 14 master trainers to conduct trainings in a cascading mode
• Task Forces have been constituted at the district (38) block (534), sub-divisional (101) and panchayat level (8400)
• Task Forces have been constituted at the district (38) block (534), sub-divisional (101) and panchayat level (8400)
• Detailed Guidelines for Task Force operations are currently being developed

Faith leaders, PRI members and Sarpanches across the state have taken an undertaking, pledging that they will not in any manner support the solemnization of child marriage.

Conclave of adolescent girls at district took place in the month of December 2017and January 2018 reaching upto 1600 adolescent girls

In the similar pattern conclave of faith leader took place in 38 district wherein approximately 1500 faith leaders were oriented.

Orientation of 990 Mukhiyas and Sarpanchs (PRI representatives) on child marriage and dowry of 22 districts held in the month of March 2018.

Phase II : Capacity Building and reaching out to Adolescent

Capacity Building :

• On 16thand 17th May orientation of 101 SDOs of the state was done on the issue child marriage and dowry.
• Orientation of DySPs : On 18th May orientation of 38 DySPs who are placed at district headquarters was done.
• Orientation of DWOs and DPMS (WDC) was done on 19th May.

Proposed activities under phase II of the campaign:

• Orientation of BDOs on the issue of child marriage and dowry
• Orientation of all Vikas Mitra on the issue of child marriage and dowry
• Orientation of task force members at all level
• Formation of adolescent groups at Mahadalit tolas