"I fell in love while I was very young. Then we got married. He was my neighbor. We didn't know this level of suffering was in store for us," lamented Anita. "Life has become an ordeal. I want an escape but there's no way," she added.
Looking after the four kids, two of who are just toddlers, is not an easy job for Anita. Going gets even difficult when the children fall sick and need extra care.
On the other hand, Kalpana is just tormented by her family member for 'not being able to give birth to a son. At the age of 14, she gave birth to a daughter as her first child. Two years later, she became mother of another daughter. And now at 18 she has again given birth to another daughter. "Then they started to hate me. My husband and in laws feel that I brought them bad luck," she said.
Both the young mothers have severe backache problem. They say that they feel quite exhausted even while doing normal household work.
"Mine was arranged marriage, how I wish they would not have sent me to other's house at such an early age. I wish none other girl has to suffer like me," said Kalpana.
Putali Dhami of Matela village got married last year when she was in her 5th grade. Now, she is six months pregnant. She was waiting in queue for health check up at the local health post on Tuesday. "I have come here with my elder sister. I need to come for regular check-up," she said. Putali said that it is not possible for her to continue her studies anymore. "I do want to go to school. But what to do, my mother and father in laws do not want it."
Be it love or arrange, child marriage is rampant in the villages of Bajhang. As a result, many girls here drop out from school before they complete school level education. Similarly, it is not too hard to see how early motherhood is taking toll on their and their kids' health.
"Despite regular awareness program on the consequences of child marriage, few people are convinced. Child marriage is quite rampant here," said Lila Ghale, chief of Women and Children Welfare Office in the district. "We have even told them child marriage is a crime. Yet, people are reluctant to change."
She further said that preference for boy child has added to the problems of girls here. On one hand, girls get married in early age and on other hand, they are forced to go on conceiving until they give birth to a male child. "Daughters are least wanted here. Having a boy is considered a great matter."
A vaccination officer in the district, Bhanubhakta Joshi stated that women's health in the region is very poor. It is the same in case of children. "When a girl becomes mother in underage, it directly affects her and baby's health. Due to lack of proper care and nutrition, they later suffer from malnutrition," he said.
According to him, the health posts in district these days offer both long and short term family planning services. And this has begun to attract women to the service centers. "Even though the government has not been able to effectively counter child marriage, use of contraceptives is becoming popular. This is expected to give good results," he said.
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