Just Rights for Children (JRC) is a network of more than 250 civil society organizations working, in 416 districts across 26 states and union territories, to end violence against children, specifically rape and sexual abuse.
Working in India, Nepal, Kenya and the United States of America, JRC aims to create an ecosystem-level response at scale through legal interventions and community engagement.
JRC strives to build a holistic approach towards justice that focuses on the prevention of crimes against children, protection and rehabilitation of victims, and prosecution of the perpetrators by promoting innovative and sustainable solutions and catalyzing long-lasting systemic behavioral change in favor of children. JRC’s goal is to eliminate impunity against all forms of child sexual abuse and exploitation by reaching the tipping point of legal action and deterrence.
JRC was founded by Bhuwan Ribhu, a renowned child rights activist, advocate, and author, inspired by his ground-breaking book Just Rights: Why Justice Should Be a Fundamental Right. The book advocates for making the Right to Justice an enforceable Fundamental Right, especially for children, and presents a fresh perspective on the relationship between the state and the individual.
- Even though child marriage is illegal as per the Prohibition of Child Marriage (PCMA) Act, 2006 and there have been many welfare schemes for the protection and empowerment of girl children in the country, the state of child marriage remains worrying.
- The National Family Health Survey-V (NFHS 2019-21) reports that nationally 23.3% of women between the age group of 20-24 were married off before attaining the age of 18.
- The five states with the worst Child Marriage figures are West Bengal (41.6%), Bihar (40.8%), Tripura (40.1%), Jharkhand (32.2%) and Assam (31.8%).
- Child marriage is not just a cultural or social issue—it is a blatant violation of human rights. It’s a crime. To build a resilient and prosperous future, dismantling this practice is non-negotiable.
- Change is on the horizon. Grassroots initiatives in education, awareness, policy reforms, and law enforcement are driving momentum. One such force for change is Just Rights for Children (JRC), a network of over 250 civil society organizations.
- JRC has turned child marriage from a hidden tragedy into a national priority, galvanizing collective action to end this practice once and for all.
- JRC has been running a nationwide campaign across India, since 2022, with an aim to attain a tipping point to end child marriage by 2030. This campaign, spearheaded by JRC and implemented by its NGO partners, focuses on addressing child marriage in districts with high prevalence.
- The aim is to organically build momentum into a nationwide movement, ultimately reducing child marriage incidents to near zero and achieving a transformative tipping point.
