Child marriages prevail in Rukum

BY JAYAMAN BUDHA MAGAR

Rukum East, Aug. 29: Sunita Budha, 16, and Anil Rokka, 17, both from Putha Uttarganga Rural Municipality, in Rukum East district, got married while they were in the ninth grade.  Right after their marriage, Sunita got pregnant and Anil went to India in search of work. Both had to discontinue their study due to chores, family responsibilities, child care and financial burden. 

Like the couple, many teenagers in the district are choosing to get married before reaching marriageable age and becoming parents.  

The municipality's deputy-chair Bhupendra Budha Magar said that most people in the district have been getting married at the age of 13 to 17 and that the old custom of getting married and becoming a parent at a young age is still in practice. He said even though they had informed everywhere that one should be at least 20 years old to get married, it has not been complied with. 

Samir Giri, chief of the municipality’s health division, said that when a girl becomes a mother at a young age, she has to face many health problems. "It seems that the custom here is made like that," he said. Many people come to the health post with reproductive health problems when they just reach the age of marriage, he added.

The number of child marriages in the district is high. According to the municipality, there is no data on how many child marriages are taking place within a year. Nimprasad Giri, information officer of the Health Office, Rukum East, informed that 40 per cent of the people who come for pregnancy check-ups at health institutions are under the age of 20.

According to Giri, 320 pregnant girls under the age of 20 came for check-ups in the fiscal year 2019/020, 241 in 2020/021 and 246 in 2021/022. Similarly, 767 pregnant women above the age of 20 came for check-ups in the fiscal year 2019/020, 706 in 2020/021 and 721 in 2021/022.

Efforts to prevent child marriage

Various efforts are being made to prevent child marriage in the district. Village, police and various organisations are trying to stop child marriage. Sunita Khadka, Head of Women, Children and Senior Citizens Branch of Sisne Rural Municipality, said that in order to prevent this, children's club, mother's group, and girl's group have been formed in the ward and awareness programmes are being intensified.  

Khadka informed that from time to time the groups and clubs are made aware about the legal provisions against child marriage, the challenges and problems of early marriage, among others. She said they have been performing awareness acts on the streets regarding child marriage. As a result, the number of child marriages is decreasing compared to the past, Khadka said.

Child marriage due to old beliefs and illiteracy

Due to old values ​​and illiteracy, the issue of child marriage prevention has been overshadowed. Traditional customs, lack of public awareness and lack of discussions on child marriage in villages are the main reasons for child marriage. The old custom of eloping and getting married by teenagers of the same age group before reaching the age is still intact in the villages of Rukumpur. The problem is getting worse because of insufficient information about the consequences of child marriage.

Lack of legal knowledge

The Civil Code Act 2074 stipulates that if you marry before the age of 20, you will be punished with imprisonment for up to three years, a fine of 30,000 or both. And the parents or the facilitators of such marriages will be prosecuted. However, the law has done little to control child marriage.

Zero complaints to the police

Most of the child marriages take place in secret. Complaints do not reach the police. According to District Police Office Rukum East, there are zero complaints related to child marriage. After the former Rukum district was divided into two parts, Rukum East started making decision as a separate district from July 3, 2017.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Prakash Dangi said that due to the lack of social awareness in the village, complaints about child marriage could not reach the police. He added that it is not possible to investigate the issue of child marriage until a complaint is registered at a police station. However, he said that if the complaint is received, action will be taken according to the legal procedure.

He said that from time to time awareness programmes are being conducted in villages, markets and schools through the community police partnership programme in coordination with the district police office and subordinate police offices. He sought other mechanisms from the government to support the police in its campaign against child marriage.