THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Ranchi, May 6: In a historic recognition of India’s growing impact in global legal advocacy, renowned child rights lawyer and activist Bhuwan Ribhu has been conferred the prestigious ‘Medal of Honour’ by the World Jurist Association (WJA) — becoming the first Indian lawyer to receive this award.
The honour was bestowed during the World Law Congress held in the Dominican Republic from May 4 to May 6, where over 1,500 legal luminaries and 300 speakers from 70+ countries convened.
The WJA, the world’s oldest and most respected association of jurists, lauded Ribhu’s two-decade-long crusade for child protection and justice, which includes 60 landmark PILs and a legal legacy that continues to shape child rights law in India and beyond.
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Jharkhand: The Epicentre of Ribhu’s Groundwork
Ribhu is the founder of Just Rights for Children (JRC) — the world’s largest legal intervention network for child protection. JRC has a strong footprint across all 24 districts of Jharkhand, where 23 NGO partners work on ground to safeguard child rights and end child marriage. Jharkhand, with a child marriage prevalence of 32.2% — much higher than the national average of 23.3% — remains a critical battleground for Ribhu’s mission.
Receiving the medal from Dominican Republic’s Minister of Labor Eddy Olivares Ortega and WJA President Javier Cremades, Ribhu said in his acceptance speech, “Children should never have to fight for justice alone. The law must be their shield, and justice must be their right.”
Also present at the ceremony was Mayra Jiménez, Minister of Women of the Dominican Republic, underscoring the global resonance of Ribhu’s work.
Legal Reformer Behind Landmark Child Protection Cases
Ribhu’s efforts have led to groundbreaking judgments in the Supreme Court and multiple High Courts of India. In 2011, his petition led the Supreme Court to define human trafficking in alignment with the UN Protocol. A 2013 case, also spearheaded by him, brought national attention to India’s missing children crisis, resulting in sweeping directives for child protection.
Through JRC, Ribhu has built a global movement to end child marriage by 2030, and driven legal reforms tackling child sexual abuse, trafficking, and online exploitation. His strategic framework to address child marriage — PICKET, outlined in his book When Children Have Children — was endorsed by the Supreme Court of India in 2024.
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A Global Milestone, A Local Inspiration
While JRC’s global footprint grows, Jharkhand remains central to its operations. Speaking on the significance of this honour, Ravi Kant, National Convenor of Just Rights for Children, said, “This is a landmark moment for our network and for India’s child rights movement. It reaffirms that legal intervention is a powerful tool to protect our children. This recognition by the World Jurist Association shines a light on the relentless work of our grassroots defenders in every district of Jharkhand.”
Ribhu’s work has not only safeguarded hundreds of thousands of children and women, but also reshaped the legal frameworks that will protect generations to come. The WJA joins a legacy of global institutions — including past honourees like Nelson Mandela, Winston Churchill, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg — in recognising his life’s work.
