Nepal: fight against child marriage, “we have to break this vicious circle” – eSHOP24X7

According to UNICEF representative, Alice Akunga, child marriage is an important issue in Nepal, which negatively affects girls. In 2006, the level of child marriage in the country was 60 percent. Due to government efforts and other partners, including UNICEF, in 2022, these data decreased and reached 35 percent. However, this is still a large number and one in three girls is a victim of child marriage.

The economic difficulty, the lack of access to education, cultural criteria and gender inequality are promoting this practice, which is having a devastating effect on girls. Boys are also affected by this problem, although their number is less than girls. One in 10 children is forced to marry at an early age.

This conversation has been edited by clarity and brevity.

UN news: even today, approximately 1 in 3 girls are married to childhood. What are your main factors?

UNICEF representative: There are many challenges, there are many reasons, and they are all connected, which eventually affect girls, families, their personal development, country and economy. One of them is the reason: the disability: it is the presence of education, but it has its own hidden prices, which are not visible.

It is difficult for some poor areas or some families living from marginalized families to raise basic needs such as school rates, books and even food. Therefore, there is a lot of pressure on those parents who think about passing their daughters to school.

The second reason is the distance. The distance and the place are very challenging for some rural communities that live in marginalized. For these girls, it is risky walking and returning every morning, because many girls stop going to school.

Then there are also cultural practices. Some of these social norms are not so useful for girls to go to school. In this, girls do not have the importance of boys.

In a cultural society, a girl has to live with many types of cargo. Girls have to do domestic work, which puts them a lot of load, and over time they cannot face it. Parents like that girls do some of these things, including the care of their brothers instead of education.

UN news: you have mentioned many reasons for child marriage. How do you see the effect on children due to marriage at an early age?

UNICEF representative: Its effects are very large and fall into the girl’s life. The first is the effects related to health. When girls get married early, they don’t develop completely. When it comes to pregnancy, it is about the ability to take a total duration or as a pregnant mother and also to be able to develop healthy.

It is at stake and sometimes ends with complications and sometimes death. This is very serious for young girls. Education is another issue of serious concern for us, because they get married quickly, they have not yet gone through the learning and education cycle.

They have no skills. She cannot spend her expenses, which interrupts her own development. But it also affects society, because it then has a population that has not achieved all its capacity and will not be able to contribute productively to the economic development of the country.

In the end, violence is also a great reason, girls who get married are very small to make decisions and do not know what is right. And, when they grow, most of them are victims of violence. Compared to girls who are educated and empowered, they can make decisions and advance and advance.

UN news: We have understood a lot about the impact on girls. Nepal is one of the countries where children under 18 are also married to their parents. What are the challenges in children’s position?

UNICEF representative: Children can also leave school and the reason for what we are seeing in Nepal is migration. Many of these young people are leaving the country. They are leaving the country before completing secondary education. And, those who have completed have no skills, so they are only leaving the country.

They want to marry before leaving and want to leave their wife to take care of the house.

This also affects its development. It has an impact on the development of the country and the development of society, because when young people leave, which are in society, which will build that community and village. When they are there, they will take care of the family.

Therefore, this is also a great concern for us, because Unicef ​​and I believe that many people want these young people to leave the country, stay here, work here, get opportunities here and contribute to Nepal’s economic development.

UN news: You presented a positive image compared to 2006, where this figure has decreased from 65 percent to 35 percent. What is the special effort to deal with child marriage today?

UNICEF representative: We are doing many things under government leadership. And we are working closely with development partners, non -governmental organizations, communities and subnational level agencies. In this field, we have contributed a lot, especially when it comes to strengthening governments’ policies.

This includes understanding child marriage, building the ability of the people present in the office to be able to fight it and apply solutions together with resources.

Another thing is, as an example, we have executed a program called “End of child marriage in Nepal”, which analyzes many dimensions. It focuses on taking advantage of social and security services.

It focuses on empowering girls, building their financial skills and empowering them, so that they can obtain job opportunities.

It is considered especially transformer in Nepal. It operates in schools to empower girls, understand their rights, influence communities, deny child marriage and increase the voice. It is also executed within the communities for girls who leave school, outside of school. Here, we work closely with parents, communities.

UN news: Why is it important to invest in adolescents in Nepal?

UNICEF representative: There are 3 million teenagers in the country. This is a very large number. In a few years, these adolescents-Kishori become adults and must work, maintain their family and community and contribute to the country’s productivity.

So, if you prevent 30 Lakh people from contributing to the productivity of the economy, then economic growth is stopping.

Therefore, investment in adolescents is good for them, for families and for the country. These are your rights. This is a welfare problem, which is associated with personal development and growth. Girls who are educated and become mothers in the future, are in a better position in terms of educating their children, maintaining them and thus getting out of poverty.