The District Police Office (DPO), Kalikot has come up with a year-long programme to raise awareness of the harmful consequences of child marriage and prevent such practices
The District Police Office (DPO), Kalikot has come up with a year-long programme to raise awareness of the harmful consequences of child marriage and prevent such practices in the remote district.
The DPO had made the programme public at an event organised to mark the conclusion of the two day-long training regarding child protection. Altogether 25 police personnel, including chiefs of all 11 police offices in the district, were given training on ways to prevent child marriages, including rights of children, related legalities and other subjects concerning the issue during the two-day workshop organised by Save the Children, Nepal, an international organisation for children.
Police had come up with the work policy following increasing pressure from local stakeholders who argue that it was almost impossible to put an end to social evils such as child marriage, polygamy, domestic violence and others without active police support.
According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Laxman Gurung, chief of DPO, Kalikot, as per the work policy awareness rallies, road dramas, interaction, discussions and door-to-door campaigns will be conducted in all 30 VDCs of the district.
“The problem of child marriage is alarming in Kalikot,” DSP Gurung said, adding that the programme will be executed with assistance from local political parties, VDCs, as well as government and non-government organisations.
Meanwhile, the community police, Women and Children Service Centre, and participants from police posts at Nagma, Sallagad, Chappre, Padamghat, Howdi, Hulma, Khulalu, Kumalgaun, Mumra, Raskot and Thirpu VDCs have pledged to at least conduct one programme in their area.
“We have appealed to all the stakeholders to help us in our endeavour. However, even if we do not get assistance as expected , it won’t affect operations of the programme,” said Police Inspector Karna Bahadur Chand.
A survey conducted in December, 2009, had found that of the total 558 marriages that were registered in nine VDCs of the district, 335 were child marriages. Likewise, of another 558 marriages that took place in 2010, 306 were child marriages.
However, child marriage in 10 VDCs of the district had decreased by almost 70 percent in 2012. According to rights activist Bale Sharma, the highest rates of child marriages was observed in Chepang community.
Records show that the prevalence of child marriage among Dalits stood at 67 percent while 22 percent of the marriages happening in the Chettri community were child marriage, 10 in Brahmins and one among janajatis, Sharma added.
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