20/04/2026
Jeevika Development Society is actively working across Howrah district to protect child rights and prevent child marriage. On the auspicious occasion of Akshaya Tritiya, a day often misused for conducting early marriages under the guise of tradition, we observed a District-wide Awareness and Vigilance Day Against Child Marriage.
To strengthen prevention efforts, key stakeholders including CMPOs, ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, and religious leaders joined hands with us. Their collective commitment reflects a strong and united stand against child marriage.
Representing Jeevika Development Society, Sonali Khatun and the Howrah team emphasized that child marriage is a punishable offense. No cultural or religious justification can make it acceptable, even on a day considered auspicious. Due to increased vigilance by administration and civil society organizations, incidents have significantly decreased on such occasions. However, the practice has not yet been fully eradicated.
It is important to recognize that not only the families involved, but also service providers such as caterers, decorators, sweet makers, flower vendors, band party members, marriage hall owners, and even officiating priests and maulvis can be held legally accountable as abettors of this crime.
With the support of Just Rights for Children, Jeevika Development Society organized structured awareness campaigns and poster-making activities involving children, adolescents, youth, and local communities. These were conducted in:
📍 Bon Harishpur Gram Panchayat, Panchla Block
📍 Mela Temple Premises, Amta Block
A total of 235 participants joined this initiative. Through powerful posters, we highlighted:
✔ The importance of protecting girls' rights and empowerment
✔ The physical, mental, and emotional harm caused by child marriage
Participants collectively took a pledge to work towards making Howrah a child marriage-free district.
This marks a significant and positive step forward. We remain hopeful and committed to achieving a Child Marriage-Free Howrah well before 2030