Chief Minister of Gandaki Province, Surendraraj Pandey has signed a declaration to free the province from child marriage. He signed an affidavit on Saturday among the representatives of Just Rights for Children in Nepal and BASE Nepal and children for child marriage-free Nepal.

He said that although the entire country has legally defined child marriage as a crime, child marriage is still taking place in some parts of the state. He said that even though the provincial government has set policies and programs to free child marriage, it is yet to be given legal form. 

``Child marriage is legally a crime and its end is necessary,'' he said, ``We have decided policies and programs. Laws are being made. Some local levels are working by making laws. The state government will soon bring a strict law.'

Gandaki province still has 11.9 percent child marriage. In the

signing ceremony, social activists Balkrishna Pandey, Dr. Gangadhar Adhikari, Gandaki government secretaries, students, children affected by child marriage, journalists, concerned agencies and representatives of BASE Nepal participated.

During the signing, activist Pandey highlighted the child marriage-free world campaign and Chief Minister Pandey said that the state government is committed to the campaign.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli signed a commitment letter on December 16 to declare Nepal free of child marriage by 2030 and started the campaign. After that, the Federal Minister of Women, Children and Senior Citizens and the Social Development Ministers of the seven provincial governments jointly launched the national campaign.