ROLPA, July 21: Over 80 girls below the age of 20 gave birth in Rolpa District Hospital in the last fiscal year. Among those, 12 had to go for surgery due to health complications. According to the hospital officials, a significant number of underage women seek abortion service. Women’s health in Rolpa is scary, thanks to child marriage.

ROLPA, Jan 15: Four 9th graders and five 10th graders of Saraswati Secondary School of Lungri Rural Municipality – 1 quit school last year as they got married. According to the school principal Umesh Pun, the school has a high dropout rate and early marriage is one of the main reasons.

Like any 20 something, I have my share of occasional disappointments at work, and personal silly life checklists I have not ticked off yet. And in some professional low moments of aspirations unfulfilled despite pool of praises of job well done with “Oh and ahs” coupled with working weekends, often letting go of personal commitment to fulfill professional responsibilities, I cannot help but ask: Why is it extra hard for women out here to ladder up to their dreams and sometimes, a lot of times, to just DREAM?

RAMECHHAP, Sept 23: Lata (name changed) was studying in the seventh grade when she got married. A resident of Likhutamakoshi Rural Municipality – 4 of northern Ramechhap, she gave birth to a baby boy next year. Now she is 20 and her son is three year old. Her husband left for Malaysia last year and ‘does not ring her that often’.

NEPALGUNJ, Aug 8: Women from Madhesi and the Muslim communities have protested in Nepalgunj on Thursday demanding to marry off their daughters at the age of 16.

BAITADI, May 13: In a bid to curb child marriage, Purchaudi Municipality of Baitadi has started a campaign to keep green flags at the homes of all girls who are below 20 years in the local unit.

DOTI, April 22: The legal age of marriage is 20 years. But the custom of child marriage is still prevalent in the hilly districts of the Sudur Paschim province.

DHADING, April 13: Twenty-one-year-old Sanukaanchhi Chepang of Benighat, Rorang-1, Chimang is a mother of three. She has a son and two daughters at such a young age. As she eloped and married at the age of 13, her present days are spent rearing children and carrying household chores.

DHADING, April 11: Twenty-one-year-old Sanukaanchhi Chepang of Benighat, Rorang-1, Chimang is a mother of three. She has a son and two daughters at such a young age. As she eloped and married at the age of 13, her present days are spent rearing children and carrying household chores.