Deprived of educational opportunities due to child marriage

It has been three years since Saru Rasaili, 20, of Munaki in Dhaulagiri Village Municipality-3 became a mother. Malika-1, who got married at the age of 16, became a mother at the age of 17.

Yam Kumari, 25, who got married at the age of 15, has become a mother of two again. "I got married while I was in the ninth grade," said Pun. Purnakala Pun, who got married at the age of 19, said that even though she passed the Secondary Education Examination (SEE), she was deprived of getting higher education because of her marriage. Purnakala, who has become a mother of two children, said that she had problems when she got pregnant and gave birth before reaching the age.

Saru, Yam Kumari, and Purnakala have regretted having child marriage. They have experienced that when husband and wife do not agree on understanding each other, they get into fights because they are married without being physically and mentally mature. Those who had child marriages ten years ago are now organized and engaged in the campaign against child marriage so that the pain they have suffered is not borne by others. "Child marriage, which is considered a crime legally, has caused a lot of financial, educational, physical, and social damage," said Saru.

She said that the initiative has been taken to save the monthly income by joining the income generating group, take loans at concessional interest rate and become self-reliant by doing business.

If they get information that child marriage is about to take place, they inform the ward, the people's representative of the municipality, and the municipality for legal action. A program to reduce child marriage has been implemented in Sangam Myagdi under the Girls First Fund project in wards 2, 3, 4, and 7 of Dhaulagiri village municipality since 2019 BS.

Khima Purja, program coordinator of Sangam Myagdi, said that 14 income-generating groups, eight child marriage prevention groups, and Kiroshi groups have been formed in 10 schools. In the ward where the program was implemented, 463 adolescents under the age of 20 got married 10 years ago. Chairman of Sangam Myagdi, Deepak Poudel, said that a grant of Rs. 48,000 to Rs.50,000. They have engaged in goat, poultry, and sewing business by taking loans from the revolving fund without collateral at the concessional interest rates on the basis of collective guarantee.

In order to reduce child marriage, Dhaulagiri village municipality has launched a vice-president program with age-related marriage. Through the program, a message program against child marriage has been conducted at school and community level. The informative play 'Kylie Ama' has been performed under the Child Marriage Reduction Program.