These figures mark a historic shift in a country where child marriage was once deeply entrenched in social norms. An overwhelming 99% of survey respondents said they had heard about the government’s “Child Marriage-Free India” campaign, primarily through NGOs, schools, and panchayats. It was prepared by JRC’s research wing, the Center for Legal Action and Behavioral Change for Children (C-LAB), in collaboration with India Child Protection. A Shift in Public Awareness and Legal ActionUntil recently, child marriage was a silent epidemic. These same factors were cited as key drivers of child marriage, with 91% pointing to poverty and 44% to safety issues.