To a stark contrast to the nature of their work, temple priests of Dang district have joined the social campaign to stop child marriage. They attended training on child marriage organized by Tulsipur Sub-Metropolitan City as part of the campaign to make the Sub-Metropolis child friendly. They have played their part by discouraging child marriage taking place on the temple premises.
Their initiatives are bearing fruit as 28 incidents of child marriage have been obviated at Trishiddheshwori Temple so far in the current fiscal year, said priest Buddhiram Bhattarai. He said they allow couples visiting the temple to get married only after scanning their citizenship cards and academic credentials.
"We have joined the anti-child marriage campaign after undergoing training, and results are very positive. We allow only the couples crossing the legal age of 20 years to get married," he said. In some cases, he said, they were under pressure from the parents to allow child marriage.
The Sub-Metropolis in coordination with Nawajagaran Women and Children Center provides training on child marriage two times every year.
