Image:  Rt. Hon President Mrs. Bidhya Devi Bhandari shaking hands with Prince Harry at the Inaugural Session of the Nepal Girl Summit. DPM Mr. CP Mainali looks on. Photo by Prakash Mathema 

NEWS: KATHMANDU, 23 March 2016 – On Wednesday March 23rd Nepal hosted its first ever Girl Summit as part of its commitment, following the 2014
London Girl Summit, to end child marriage by 2030. The event was opened by
lighting a traditional lamp by Rt. Honourable President Bidhya Devi Bhandari
with His Royal Highness Prince Harry of the United Kingdom looking on.  It brought together young people, community
members, activists, religious leaders, government officials, diplomats, UN and
civil society to accelerate momentum in ending Child, Early and Forced
Marriage.

The one-day Girl Summit hosted by the Ministry of Women,
Children and Social Welfare (MoWSCW), with technical and financial support
provided by DFID and UNICEF, was a culmination of weeks of preparations.
District Level Consultations for the event began on March 3rd in 15 districts
of Nepal, and brought together girls and boys and to discuss challenges and
solutions for eradicating child marriage in Nepal and creating the conditions
for every girl to reach her full potential. Interactions between these
adolescents and community leaders were also held in these 15 districts, which
provided additional platform for adolescent girls and boys to voice their
issues.

Nearly half of all women in Nepal between the ages of 20 and
49 were married before their 18th birthday, of these, 15 per cent were not even
15 years old at the time of marriage. It was to end this harmful practice that
infringes on the rights of girls as well as boys, that the Government of Nepal in
2014 pledged to end child marriage by 2030. MoWCSW has rolled out a special
adolescent Girls Empowerment Programme to achieve this. The Girl Summit, the
first event of its kind in Nepal, is part of the Government’s commitment to end
child marriage, and represents an important step in changing gender relations
in the country and empowering women and girls to unlock their potential. 

Following the lighting of the inaugural traditional lamp by
Rt. Hon President Bhandari and a special symbolic cultural performance by
adolescent girls, special guest HRH Prince Harry spoke with optimism about the
opportunity opening up in Nepal where in the past decade the incidence of child
marriage has seen a slide.  "I
recognise that each country must find its own path; and that here in Nepal,
this is a complex social challenge. But it is one that the Government is
tackling and is making progress in its hope of ending child marriage by 2030;
it has fallen by 10 per cent over the last decade and the practice is now
banned by law. Therefore the focus can now turn toward enforcement and
education."

Talking about the need for more men to speak about this
issue, he added," Female leadership in Nepal now sets a powerful example,
with women occupying the roles of President and Speaker. But the biggest reason
for our optimism are the inspiring girls and boys in this room who care so much
about changing attitudes towards young women in this country.  I am proud to stand with you today."

Speaking on behalf of adolescents in the country, Radhika
Budha, a 15-year old from Kalikot district from the far western corner of the
country, said "Like in many parts of the world, including Nepal, child
marriage is common in Kailkot district too. 
Gender inequality and a society that values girls less, along with
poverty, illiteracy and feeling of insecurity is providing fuel to the practice
of child marriage. One powerful tool to empower girls and offer them the
opportunity to avail various life choices, self-respect and self-esteem, is
quality education. That is why our schools need to be child-friendly."

Following the
inaugural session, there were a range of sessions, activities and performances
aimed at raising awareness of the progress Nepal has made on ending child
marriage, and the challenges that remain. 
Three panels were organised to discuss the role of policies and
provisions, social norms that prevent girls from equal opportunities and youth
engagement in eradicating child marriage, and to discuss the key findings of
the District Level Consultations. Panellists came from a range of backgrounds
and included both girls and boys, government and NGO representatives and
academics from various institutions. A pledge booth allowed participants to
pledge their commitment to a future free of Child, Early and Forced Marriage.

 

Image: Rt. Hon President Mrs. Bidhya Devi Bhandari along with Prince Harry, other dignitaries as well as adolescents at the Inaugural Session of the Nepal Girl Summit. Photo by Prakash Mathema 

Speaking earlier at the inaugural session, Secretary of
MoWSCW, Mr. Madhu Prasad Regmi highlighted the importance of the Summit in
bringing together all stakeholders  for
sharing knowledge, experiences and best practices, the "united force"
which would  be instrumental in the fight
against child marriage.

On the same occasion the Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal, and
Minister of MoWCSW, Mr. Chandra Prasad Mainali pledged the Government’s
commitment to ‘minimise the menace of child marriage.’

"Despite the fact that there are legal, policy and
programmatic interventions by the Government of Nepal against child marriage,
they have not produced desired results," he said. "To streamline
initiatives the Government of Nepal has already prepared the National Strategy
against child marriage, which has just been publish by the Government."

Hon. DPM Mainali reiterated the Government of Nepal’s
determination to fulfil commitments that were made during the London Girl
Summit held in July 2014, as well as to implement target 5.3 of the Sustainable
Development Goals related to eliminating all harmful practices such as child,
early ad forced marriage by 2030.

The five point pledge made by the Government of Nepal at the
Girl Summit in London in 2014 to end child marriage and promote the position of
girls and women in Nepal, include:

–           declare
child marriage as an unacceptable social practice and a punishable crime;

–           work hand
in hand with adolescent girls and boys in meaningful and innovative ways to
inspire and involve them  in ending child
marriage;

–           directly
engage boys and men as active participants in actions to end child marriage

–           strengthen
inter-sectoral mechanisms within and beyond Government systems to share
evidence-based best practices and celebrate successful interventions to end
child marriage, and

–           call to
action all stakeholders to recognise and demonstrate their deepest commitment
to this national priority of ending child marriage and to contribute the
necessary technical and financial resources towards actions for achieving this
goal