Chief Minister of Lumbini Province Chetnarayan Acharya has said that the provincial government is in favor of making the legal age of marriage 20 years in Nepal. Stating that the campaign to make the state free from child marriage is a priority of the state government, he is of the opinion that the age of marriage should be 20 years for that.
On Sunday, representatives of 30 different social organizations submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers office demanding that the legal age of marriage be maintained at 20 years in Nepal. Chief Minister Acharya and Chief Secretary Baburam Adhikari were presented with a memorandum by Creative Nepal Treasurer Khumkumari Thapa and Program Officer Suna Neupane on behalf of the organization's representatives.
Accepting the memorandum, Chief Minister Acharya informed that due to child marriage, maternal mortality rate, child mortality rate, and malnutrition have increased, the state government is conducting nutrition programs on priority to solve these problems.
The state government has committed to the campaign against child marriage. This is a social problem and a legal crime," Chief Minister Acharya said, "We have prioritized the protection, safety, education and health of children.
The gender equality policy made by the state government has also addressed the plan to make the province free of child marriage with priority," he said. He said that due to child marriage, the overall development of children will be hindered and the state government has paid special attention to its solution.
The sub-committee formed under the Law, Justice and Human Rights Committee of the House of Representatives proposed a proposal to reduce the age of marriage from 20 years to 18 years in Nepal.
According to the census of 2078, there is 14.6 percent child marriage in Lumbini province, in which 21.8 percent of women and 5.5 percent of men . The Lumbini state government has also prepared a ten-year strategic plan to make the state free from child marriage.
