KATHMANDU: Chairperson of the Women and Social Affairs Committee, Kiran Kumar Sah, has emphasized the need to amend the law on child marriage even before seven years of its enactment.

Speaking at a discussion program organized on Wednesday by Forum for Women, Law and Development (FWLD) with support from UNICEF, involving members of the House of Representatives, Sah said, “In a changing society, it is essential to enact laws that are timely and relevant.”

He further stated that none of the child reform homes in Nepal meet the required standards. Children in these reform homes remain at risk, with inadequate food, sleeping arrangements, and other basic facilities.

The first amendment bill related to children, which is planned to be tabled in the House after detailed committee discussions, incorporates many new and timely provisions aligned with international treaties. Sah highlighted that child marriage is unimaginable and stressed that the bill has been prepared focusing on the best interests of children, free from any vested interests.

During the program, members of parliament were briefed on the existing child-related laws through audio-visual presentations. FWLD Executive Director Advocate Sabin Shrestha presented the bill, stating it centers on child justice and includes many new provisions, though further improvements could be made.

Suggestions for the bill include adding definitions in the preamble, clearly defining orphaned and found children, ensuring no discrimination in assigning children’s surnames, specifying the age limits for children not to be engaged in hazardous work, safeguarding confidentiality rights, legislating against the use of children for religious conversion, and clarifying laws related to children’s courts. These recommendations also take into account suggestions from the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child.

Advocate Bidhan Khaniya explained the need to increase child reform homes and discussed issues arising from the lack of authority to set bail for children’s court benches. Child Rights Council’s Shriram Adhikari urged parliamentarians to consider provisions under sections 43 and 24, while UNICEF representative Ram Prasad Gautam recommended replacing “child psychologist” with “child counselor” in section 62 and highlighted the bill’s silence on cyber violence issues.

Participants welcomed the suggestions, noting that they will make it easier to amend the bill.

Janata Samajwadi Party MP Ranjukumar Jha said the discussion helped clarify some vague provisions, while MP Pratiksha Tiwari suggested involving victims directly in such programs to make them more effective.

The program was chaired by FWLD President Geeta Aryal and moderated by advocate Dipesh Shrestha. Senior advocate Mira Dhungana explained that the bill aims to amend the Child Act, 2018 and highlighted the importance of bringing remaining issues to public attention.