Local levels pledge to end child marriage in Gulmi

GULMI: The people’s representatives from all the local levels in Gulmi district have committed to working to end child marriage in the district.

The representatives of the local governments made such a commitment during an interaction program organised here on “10-year strategy of Lumbini Province, its challenges in implementation and potentials, and role of local level’.

On the occasion, the speakers said that stakeholders and the society should work collectively to discourage the child marriage as it is happening in the society without public notice due to social traditions and other reasons.

The interaction was organised to collect recommendations for the drafting of the strategy to end child marriage.

However, the speakers also complained of limited budget allocation to carry out interventions against such mal-practices at the local levels.

On the occasion, Chief of District Coordination Committee Drona Bahadur Khatri stressed for running awareness raising programmes from the ward level and at schools too to end child marriage.

Likewise, Vice Chairperson of Satyawati Rural Municipality Nirmaya Taramu said that such issues including child marriage have been shadowed as public attention has shifted to construction of physical works.

The Social Development Ministry of Lumbini Province is working for such events with support from UNICEF.