Guwahati: Coordinated action by the Kamrup district administration in Assam, police and civil society groups led to the prevention of 350 child marriages and the rescue of 10 trafficked children during 2025, officials said.
Data shared by the Assam Centre for Rural Development (ACRD) showed that all 10 rescued trafficking victims in the district were girls. Authorities carried out the interventions through timely tip-offs, community vigilance and swift coordination with law enforcement and child protection agencies.
ACRD works as a partner organisation of the Just Rights for Children (JRC) network, one of the country’s largest child protection coalitions, comprising more than 250 NGOs across 451 districts. The network follows a three-pronged strategy of prevention, protection and prosecution.
Since January 2025, JRC partners nationwide have prevented 1,98,628 child marriages and rescued 55,146 children from trafficking. Of the rescued children, 40,830 were boys and 14,316 girls, while authorities registered 42,217 trafficking cases during the period.
ACRD executive director Prerna Changkakati said sustained collaboration with district administrations, police, gram panchayats and teachers produced tangible results on the ground. She said rescue operations must be followed by rehabilitation, school re-enrolment and access to welfare schemes to break cycles of poverty, child labour and child marriage.
Along with other JRC partners, the organisation is working towards ending child marriage by 2030, rescuing children from labour and identifying inter-district and inter-state trafficking linked to labour, marriage and sexual exploitation. The network also coordinates with agencies such as the Railway Protection Force for timely interventions.
Officials said the JRC network has engaged over three lakh religious leaders across faiths to spread awareness that child marriage is illegal and not endorsed by any religion. In Kamrup, several religious institutions have displayed notices declaring that child marriage is prohibited on their premises.