India News | Faith Leaders from Across Religions Unite to End Child Marriage by 2030

New Delhi, Mar 19 (PTI) More 30 spiritual leaders from ten religions gatheredhere on Wednesday for an interfaith forum focused on ending child marriage.

The discussion aimed at leveraging religious influence in raising awareness, supporting law enforcement, and eliminating the practice, a statement said.

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Organised by India Child Protection, the forum sought to establish a national-level interfaith initiative committed to making India child marriage-free by 2030, the statement said.

Leaders representing Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Christianity, Baha'i, Buddhism, Jainism, Brahma Kumari, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism joined forces to devise strategies and a plan to combat child marriage, it said.

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Bhuwan Ribhu, founder of Just Rights for Children, called the initiative a landmark step, emphasising that child marriage is both illegal and immoral, with no religious sanction.

"What started last year has now grown into a global movement of faith leaders working towards a child marriage-free India and, ultimately, a child marriage-free world," he said.

Swami Kripakarananda of the Ramakrishna Mission called child marriage an age-old practice that must be stopped.

"An issue that has persisted for centuries is finally being addressed with the urgency it deserves. Only by empowering communities with knowledge can we dismantle harmful traditions and ensure every child has the right to grow and thrive," he said.

Archbishop Mar Kuriakose Bharanikulangara, a Bishop of Diocese of Faridabad, echoed similar sentiments.

"Marriage is a responsibility, not just a tradition. A child cannot bear the weight of parenthood. We must empower communities, enforce marriage registration, and advocate globally to end child marriage," he said.

Imam Faizan Muneer, Secretary of the All India Imam Organisation, and Mufti Aslam, principal of a madrasa, reaffirmed that Islam does not permit child marriage.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)