By Our Correspondent

Hetauda, Feb. 26

Mailimaya Gole, of Salle of Agra VDC-15, a remote village of Makawanpur, cancelled the marriage of her 16-year old daughter Mandomaya, thanks to the suggestions she received against the practice of child marriage.

The Gole family had already fixed the marriage of Mandomaya but after the suggestion of the Sayapatri Women Group, which launched its campaign against child marriage programme, the family was forced to annul the marriage of young daughter.

The members of Saypatri Women Group, as per their campaign, have decided to marry their sons and daughters only after they become 20 years old.

The Group started interaction programme among the villagers against the practice of child marriage. Child Welfare Society, Makawanpur, has started an awareness programme with the help of the Plan Nepal. Now the villagers have shown their commitment in controlling child marriage at their respective villages.

"If we arrange child marriages, the future of our children will be in dark. We think our children must not suffer the problem of child marriage, so we compelled to decide against the practice" said Mailimaya Thing, President of Mangal Women Group.

If someone tries to arrange child marriages the group would reach to the family and give suggestion against such practice, Nabita Gole, Sirjansil Women group president said.

Most of the marriages in the Agra Village have been the child marriage. In this VDC , marriages have taken place when the boys and girls have reached to 14 to 17 years of age. The young people have married without the suggestions and permissions from their parents, said Shanti Baiba, a aocal representative of Child Welfare Society.

According to Baiba, after the society started to coordinate with Women Groups, it received support against the practice of child marriage.

Child Welfare Society has run their programmes in Agra, Gogane, Chitlang, Bajrabarahi, Namtar, Basamadi, Hadikhola, Manhari, Sarikhet and Raksirang VDC from the support of 173 women groups.

From the programme women gained the knowledge on child rights, constitutional rights of women, women’s right on property, child marriages, equal development of male and female, Prakash Khatiwada, programme coordinator of the society said.