The Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare (MoWCSW) expressed such commitment during the first Girls Summit held in Kathmandu on Wednesday. The MoWCSW even concluded that child marriage should be handled on various social, religious and cultural contexts if Nepal is to achieve the goal and make Nepal child-marriage free.Speaking at the inaugural session of the summit, Minister for Women, Children and Social Welfare CP Mainali said that many cases of child marriage are occurring in Nepal due to patriarchal mindset and discrimination against daughter.
"Although there is a legal provision against child marriage, the act is happening rampantly due to the deep-rooted patriarchal values. We vow to end child marriage in Nepal by the end of 2030 by providing educational opportunities to all," said Mainali.
Nepal outlawed child marriage in 1963 but child marriages have still been taking place in various districts. As per the existing law, anyone found forcing child marriage face up to three years jail and a fine of Rs 10,000.
Figures compiled by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) in 2011 showed that 1.1 percent of girls aged between 10-14 years, 8.8 percent of girls aged between 15-16 years, and 30 percent of girls of 17-18 age group are married. The legal marriageable age for girls and boys is 20.
In order to galvanize national and international support against child marriage and to reaffirm its commitment, the government organized the first Girl Summit with support from UKaid and UNICEF in partnership with various civil society groups.
Around 59 adolescents and children from 15 districts participated in the day-long conference where they shared the difficulties of getting an education, opportunities and forced marriage. Among the participants were children who were forcibly married off at an early age and those who might get married off at any time from Rautahat, Morang, Bajhang, Dailekh, Surkhet, Nawalparasi, Kapilvastu, Rupandehi, Kalikot, Doti, Makawanpur, Saptari, Udayapur, Banke and Baitadi.
Nepal is in third position after Bangladesh and India in South Asia in the prevalence of child marriage, according to the government.
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