Surkhet records 13,000 child marriages in two years

SURKHET, March 3: There have been about 13,000 child marriages in Surkhet over the last two years. All of the married children were found to be under the age of 14 and majority were from the underprivileged Dalit community, according to a recently published research report by a non-governmental organization (NGO).

To get married, the bride should be at least 15 years old and bridegroom 20 years, as per the existing law. "Against the country's laws, some 13,000 children of 10-14 years age group were found to have married over the last two years alone. Most of the marriages were forced by their families and communities," informed Madhu Rani Dhakal, executive director of Women Association for Marginalized Women (WAM), which conducted the research in association with Oxfam and published the findings.


Speaking at the press conference on Tuesday, Aastha Rimal, Oxfam's program coordinator, stated that statistics have revealed the ugly side of our society. "Five percent of the deaths of females during the period were due to child marriages. Now it is important for everyone to contribute to the fight against child marriages," she said.

She urged the government and NGOs as well as stakeholders to divert their attention toward discouraging and preventing child marriages. "In order to put an end to this social problem there should be social activities at the family, community and village levels," added Rimal.

Women Development Officer of the district, Jamuna Paudel, said that although cases of child marriage are very high, most of them go unreported. "So many child marriages took place in just two years. However, only two cases were reported to the police during the period," she informed.

Meanwhile, Child Rights Officer Rama Bhandari said stern punishment and social awareness should go hand-in-hand to minimize child marriages.

"Legal action should be taken against all those involved including the one who accepts and the one who forces child marriage. Such individuals should be deprived of social benefits of the government. Until and unless we do that, we will not see any significant improvement," she said.

Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare (MoWCSW) has prepared a national strategy for the first time to abolish child marriage in Nepal. The strategy has been tabled at the cabinet for approval.

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