Janakpur:Janakpurdham Sub-Metropolitan City Deputy Mayor Kishori Sah has highlighted the critical need for altering social attitudes and behaviors, in addition to implementing legal measures, to eradicate child marriage.
According to National News Agency Nepal, Deputy Mayor Sah addressed these issues at a community awareness and advocacy program in Janakpur, Dhanusha, held on Tuesday. He stressed the importance of community-level awareness to combat the detrimental social practice of child marriage.
During the event, Sah discussed ongoing awareness campaigns, including street dramas, aimed at raising social awareness about child marriage. Kumari Sharma, Madhesh Province Officer at the National Human Rights Commission, also spoke, labeling child marriage as a national issue that requires the collective efforts of communities and relevant authorities for its elimination.
Purna Prasad Yadav, Chairperson of ward no 14 of Janakpurdham Sub-Metropolitan City, reported that seven child marriages had been thwarted in his ward, and pledged to continue awareness programs in the future.
Seema Khan, Chairperson of the Muslim Women Welfare Society Nepal, reminded attendees of Nepal’s national strategy to end child marriage and called for enhanced cooperation among government bodies, local authorities, civil society, and communities to achieve a society free from child marriage. The program included a street drama illustrating the negative impacts of child marriage on girls’ education, health, and future prospects.