National Assembly of Child Human Rights Defenders Strengthening Child Participation to end Child Marriage

November 23 to 25, 2024

National Assembly of Human Child Rights Defenders was held in Kathmandu. The event was a collaborative organized by six organizations working closely with child rights. Human Rights Commission, the National Council for Child Rights, the National Action and Coordination Group (NACG) Nepal, Consortium Nepal, Girls Not Brides (GNB), and the South Asian Initiative to End Violence against Children (SAIVAC) jointly organized the National Assembly of CHRD. The assembly brought together representatives of child rights organizations from all seven provinces of Nepal, along with experts and stakeholders in the similar field.

The program included the participation of 52 children, comprising 21 provincial representatives (three from each province) and 31 participants from various communities. The children engaged in discussions about the efforts to prevent child marriage and the challenges encountered during these initiatives. In the opening session, the President of the Human Rights Commission, Tap Bahadur Magar, highlighted the importance of considering not just legal measures but also social and systemic factors to prevent child marriage. He pointed out that those arrested for child marriage are often charged with unrelated crimes, such as forced labor, and emphasized that actions should be taken specifically addressing child marriage as a crime. Similarly, Vimala Subedi, Chairperson of the Law, Justice, and Human Rights Committee of the Federal Parliament, shared findings from monitoring 10 prisons and three juvenile correctional facilities, where many individuals were imprison for child marriage-related charges. Subedi called for a focus on addressing the root causes of child marriage to find sustainable solutions.

Deepak Raj Nepal, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Women, Children, and Senior Citizens, identified two primary reasons contributing to child marriage, while Rinchen Chopel, Secretary General of the South Asian Initiative to End Violence against Children (SAIVAC), reported a recent decline in child marriage rates across South Asia. Additionally, Ram Prasad Subedi, Chairman of the Federation of Non-Governmental Organizations, underscored the importance of considering children’s perspectives in family decision-making processes. Santosh Maharjan, President of Consortium Nepal, noted that the discussions also addressed potential impacts on children as Nepal transitions from a least developed country to a developing country by 2026.