Child Marriage

According to the National census report prepared by the Central Bureau of Statistics of Nepal (CBS), about 47 percent of the population shows that their age at their first marriage is between 15-19 age groups. In this age group, 55.5 percent women get married and about 99 percent women get married before the age of 29. The same CBS report mentions that only one percent women get married after 30 years of age while most male get married after 35. This verifies that child marriage is still a day-to-day reality in Nepal with girls being subjected to this more than boys. Nepal has the tenth position where prevalence of child marriage is high. Repercussions of child marriages are immense – psychological and physical being the most significant.

Perpetuation of child marriages is apparent even after criminalizing it. To identify, comprehend and document the reasons for child marriages and to encourage for further solutions to eliminate such marriages, FWLD conducted a major research “Impact of Child Marriages” in the Kathmandu valley, Dang and Biratnagar on August - October 2006 to identify the causes of child marriages in Nepal and understand its repercussions. With the support of United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), FWLD conducted the research to investigate and identify the causes of the ineffective enforcement of law and to suggest recommendations for effective control of child marriage and to develop strategies for successive implementation of law to prevent child marriages in Nepal .

The causes for high prevalence of child marriage include religious norms and values, cultural traditions, economic hardships, illiteracy and mass unawareness amongst parents and marrying couples as to the adverse impact of child marriage, the weak law against child marriage and its even weaker implementation. The societal value system of son preference ignores the issues relating to well being of girls and practice of child marriage is often taken to be a non-issue. As a result, cases of child marriages are least reported to the law enforcement agencies.

The study has examined the impacts of child marriage on children, particularly on girls and women. Thousands of women die in Nepal every year due to pregnancy related complications. The child marriage or early marriage and conception at an immature stage of physical growth are attributed to be one of the major causes for it. The study also indicated that women in comparison to men face multiple adverse impacts due to child marriage. Most serious of these impacts is the deteriorated physical and mental health of the mother including uterus prolapse, maternity death, miscarriage, sexual diseases, infanticide and infertility and other physical problems. The health of the newborn is also at risks because of under weight birth and poor care and support. Other impacts include torture and violence within the family including denial of foods, clothes or basic costs for maintenance, physical assaults and sexual violence and abandonment, deprivation of education and career making opportunities, denial of right to self determination, denial of right to reproductive health and the resulting impact on overall well-being of women and the children born to her.