Janakpur, November 4: Janakpurdham Sub-Metropolitan City Deputy Mayor Kishori Sah has called for changes in social attitudes and behaviour to eliminate child marriage, stressing that legal measures alone are not sufficient to address the problem.

Speaking at a community-level awareness and advocacy programme in Janakpur, Dhanusha, on Tuesday, Sah said that raising public awareness and changing traditional social practices were essential to ending child marriage.

He said the sub-metropolitan city had been conducting various awareness activities, including street dramas, to educate communities about the consequences of child marriage.

Similarly, Kumari Sharma, Madhesh Province Officer at the National Human Rights Commission, described child marriage as a nationwide problem and stressed the need for coordinated efforts among communities, government agencies and other stakeholders to address it.

Purna Prasad Yadav, chairperson of Ward No. 14 of Janakpurdham Sub-Metropolitan City, said seven child marriages had been prevented in his ward so far. He also pledged to continue awareness campaigns against the practice.

Meanwhile, Seema Khan, chairperson of Muslim Women Welfare Society Nepal, said the government had adopted a national strategy to end child marriage. She emphasized stronger cooperation among government bodies, local authorities, civil society organizations and communities to build a child-marriage-free society.

The programme also featured a street drama highlighting the negative consequences of child marriage, particularly its impact on girls’ education, health and future prospects.