KATHMANDU, JUNE 25
More than a quarter of Nepal's girls are married before turning 18, nearly four in five children experience violent discipline at home, and one in eight is engaged in child labour, figures that Nepal placed on the table at a landmark regional conference in Colombo this week as South Asian nations gathered to accelerate action on ending violence against children.
The South Asia Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children (SAMC-EVAC), held in Colombo on 23-24 June, brought together ministers, senior officials, and child protection leaders from across the region under the auspices of SAARC, UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and the UN Special Representative on Violence Against Children.
Nepal's delegation, led by Ministry of Women, Children, Gender and Sexual Minorities and Social Security Secretary Radhika Aryal, presented both progress and persistent gaps.
On the gains side, Nepal cited ongoing legislative reforms, the establishment of a dedicated juvenile court, and the adoption of a National Plan of Action for Children for 2026. The government has also expanded child helpline services, appointed Child Welfare Officers, strengthened digital referral pathways, and introduced a Child Protection Information Management System to improve data and monitoring.
But the numbers from the Nepal Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2024-2025 laid out the scale of the challenge: 27.6 percent of girls married before 18, 78.7 percent of children subjected to violent discipline, 12 percent in child labour, and 9.3 percent of young people reporting symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Nepal flagged that closing these gaps would require faster legislative reform, stronger child-responsive budgeting, and sustained financing for a professional child protection workforce.
The conference, which follows a 2024 Global Ministerial Conference in Bogotá and a preparatory meeting in Kathmandu in June 2025, was convened to push national commitments into concrete implementation. SAARC Secretary General Md. Golam Sarwar framed the stakes plainly, saying the region cannot meet its sustainable development commitments while failing its children.
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, in whose country the conference was hosted, called ending violence against children a shared regional responsibility. A 17-year-old Sri Lankan student, Sasindu Ranmith, president of the National Children's Council, told delegates that many children do not know where to seek help - and do not trust the system even when they do.
UNICEF Representative in Sri Lanka Emma Brigham said lasting change would require more than legislation, including shifts in how children are raised, taught, and protected, and a challenge to norms that allow violence to persist.
