Children Demand Action on Drugs and Child Marriage from Local Representatives in Tikapur

Kailali. Children of Tikapur have demanded that local representatives work effectively to reduce drug abuse and trafficking and child marriage.

In the 'Children Dialogue with Representatives' program, children demanded that since Tikapur is a municipality bordering India, children are increasingly falling into drugs, so work should be done to strictly control this.

Pritambahadur Tamatta, a boy from Tikapur Municipality-8, demanded effective initiatives to reduce drug abuse as his friends are falling into it. "Since it is near the border, there is no problem crossing back and forth, some friends go to India and come back after consuming it," he said, "The local municipality should provide playgrounds and sports equipment to keep children busy, and there should be extracurricular activities in schools. The local government should bring a budget prioritizing children."

Girl Isha Saud pointed out that although there is a rule not to sell tobacco products within 100 meters of schools, tobacco products are being sold near the entrances of schools here. "Students come to class after going out to shops during school hours and consume tobacco products and drugs, and then sleep in class," she said, "Do we feel safe in the classroom? We are afraid of friends who have fallen into addiction."

Boy Rabindra Bahadur Ghartimagar from Tikapur-7 demanded that transformation classes be conducted in every community to prevent drug abuse and child marriage. "The parents of most children here are in India for employment, and some have no parents at all," he said, "No one is monitoring children who manage their households on their own. Many are going to India for marriage before reaching the age. Please make a plan to stop child marriage."

Girl Ankita Tamatta complained that there is no rest room or treatment facility in school when children get sick. "When friends get sick, other friends have to take care of them, and we ourselves take them home by auto, which disrupts our studies," she said, "Separate teachers seem necessary for students in trouble."

Girl Arpana Chaudhary emphasized the need to enact and effectively implement laws that help prevent child marriage both policy-wise and practically, as child marriage is having a negative impact on society. Boy Arun Tamatta requested the concerned bodies to pay attention to the increasing dropout rate from school due to drugs and child marriage. "You have provided free education up to class 8, please make it free up to class 10," he said, "There is a high risk of poor children going down the wrong path. We request you to bring educational programs to support them."

They demanded that the local municipality should engage children in creative activities and provide practical education for children and parents on holidays. The Child Prosperity for Integrated Development Program, organized by Child Welfare Association Tikapur with the support of World Vision International Nepal, is working in the area of child prosperity.

Radhika Giri, program coordinator of Child Welfare Association, said that they have been supporting the protection and security of children at risk to increase access to education for children in five municipalities of Kailali. "We are working to increase child participation, prevent child marriage, and raise awareness against child labor, violence, and abuse," she said, "Local municipalities should increase investment to create a child-friendly environment. We are also ready to cooperate."

Mangal Shah, District Coordinator of World Vision, said that they are supporting child-friendly and nutrition-friendly local governance in Kailali and Kanchanpur, and suggested prioritizing work to make the municipalities child-friendly and nutrition-friendly, stating that they will cooperate.

Yam Bahadur Shah, in-charge of Dhansinghpur Health Post, said that mental health problems are increasing among adolescents, and they provide mental health education in every school one day a month. "This needs to be continued. Parents, schools, and the government all need to be serious about mental health problems seen in adolescence," he said, "These problems can be solved if schools have not only water and sanitation but also school nurses."

Dirgha Bahadur Thakkulla, ward chairman of Tikapur-8, said that investment in children should be increased for a beautiful society tomorrow, and the ward office and local representatives are aware of this. "We are organizing ward cup competitions at the ward level every year to keep children busy. We are prioritizing the improvement of playgrounds in all schools," he said, "We are trying to keep youth busy with sports. We are also doing awareness work to reduce child marriage."

Acting Mayor Rambahadur Nagarchi said that the discussion with children is important as preparations are underway to bring the budget for the next year. "We will try to include the issues raised by you in the budget," he said, "Since the country will be good only if children are good, the education and health of children are our priority."