Kathmandu, December 14, 2016: The various campaigns for 16 days of Activism against Gender Based Violence(GBV) have come to an end with the organizing of girls’ friendly football match in Devchuli Municipality in Nawalparasi.
As part of the campaign in Nawalparasi, Jagriti Child and Youth Concern Nepal(JCYCN) and Association of Youth Organizations Nepal (AYON), in association with various youth organizations in Devchuli Municipality, had organized various interaction programmes, signature-collecting campaigns, and a friendly football match among the girls.
The most interesting programme of all was the girls’ friendly football match. Though the local people were sceptic if girls too can play football, campaigners successfully organized a friendly football match on the last day of the 16-days long campaign.
The football match held at Prithvinagar of Devchuli Municipality in Nawalparasi district attracted than 300 people to the ground, including treasurer of District Football Development Committee Bikash Kumar KC, representatives of various political parties, and local people.
When girls donned in red and white jerseys entered the ground, all the spectators and guests were amazed and wished them all the best for successful performance.
As the players help up banners featuring slogans including Let’s end gender-based violence, Let’s involve girls too in sports as we do for boys, and I too can play, and asked all to make a collective commitment to end GBV through sports, all the people present to witness the match put their signatures on the banner.
Speaking on the occasion, District Football Development Committee treasurer Bikash KC shared that as sports can play a role to improve the status of girls in the society, Government of Nepal and Ministry of Sports are making policies for the same and District Football Development Committee will be creating a suitable environment for the development of girls’ sports in the district.
On the occasion, all the concerned authorities collectively said that sports can be used as a medium to give a social message, and selecting of girls and teenagers for the match hints that there is a girl child friendly environment in the municipality, and it will help make Devchuli a child-friendly municipality soon.
All the spectators in the ground were enthused to see such type of messages getting originated from Nawalparasi, as the district is an important region for child rights (activism).
Though the match was conducted in a friendly way this time, authorities present in the programme made a commitment to conduct competitive football matches in nearby future, coordinating with other places.
Altogether, more than 1000 people from the district had put their signatures in the banners pledging to end GBV, and it will be handed over to the concerned authorities of Government of Nepal, said Raju Chapagain from the organizing committee.
