Nepal to host first girl summit to free child marriage by 2030

Nepal is hosting the first girl summit here on March 23 to free child marriage from the country by 2030.

The government of Nepal is organizing a national event to accelerate momentum around the issue of child marriage and other harmful social norms perpetuating child, early and forced marriage.

The summit to be organized by Nepalese Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare with support of UK government and UNICEF is expected to end harmful social issues.

A joint press statement released on Thursday states "Nepal will now host its very own girl summit, reaffirming the government of Nepal's commitment to ensure a future free from child marriage by 2030."

According to statistics, over 1.3 million adolescent Nepalese girls (aged 10-19 years) are at risk of being married as children whereas 24.5 percent of women aged 15-19 years are currently married or in union.

"Raising the status of girls is beneficial for generations and the government of Nepal is committed to unlocking the full potential of girls by giving them equal opportunities of growth and development and by investing in changing harmful social norms," the statement further reads.

In the run up to Nepal's girl summit, multiple district consultations will also be held in 15 different districts. As per the statement, district consultations and the girl summit will bring together young people, community members, activists, traditional and faith leaders, government and international leaders and experts.

Since the first girl summit held in London in 2014, similar national events have already been organized in Bangladesh, Uganda and Ethiopia. Endit