Children of mid-western Nepal are becoming socially aware and active. On March 12, local children were successful in stopping the underage marriage of 14-year-old Bimala Biswokarma and 17-year-old Sandesh Biswokarma, both from the district of Jajarkot. “When we learned of the planned wedding, we contacted local police, as well as women’s organizations and social activists to stop it,” says Sumitra BK, who is herself a student activ­ist. The parents of the to-be bride and groom were persuaded to postpone the marriage until both of them turn 20.

 

Local children and adolescents have been active in a campaign against child marriage after taking part in an orientation program on the issue organized by two local NGOs.

 

The initiative is timely. Says Sakuntala Acha­rya, a female supervisor at the Jajarkot Women and Children Office, 74 percent adolescents in the district get married before the age of 19.

 

Raju BK, 16, and Sapana BK, 15, from Sanibheri rural municipality of West Rukum (also in mid-western hills) got married on March 10. (Both names have been changed.) But their marriage did not last more than a day. Child activists, with the help of the local police, were able to persuade the parents to get the marriage consummated only after the bride and the groom reach 20. These are not isolated cases. As many as five underage marriages have been stopped in Rukum in the month Feb-Mar alone—all with the initia­tive of local students. All underage couples were later handed over to their parents. Sub-inspector Gagan Singh Thakuri gives full credit to young students.

 

He believes that children have become increasingly aware of the ills of underage mar­riage. “It’s illegal to get married under the age of 20. When children get wind of an underage marriage plan, they inform us, even though their parents try to hush things up,” he says.

 

Ram Prasad KC, child protection officer at the Rukumeli Society Development Center, which has been facilitating the campaign against child marriage, corroborates the view. “The chil­dren’s initiative has led to a visible decline in the number of child marriage,” he says.  

 

By Rajendra Karki/Mahesh KC | Jajarkot/Musikot