Sugandha, 14, of Kailali ran away and got married to a young man of the same age while studying in class 9.

Kailali , July 20 – Sugandha, 14, of Kailali ran away and got married to a young man of the same age while studying in class 9. After Sugandha got married, there was a commotion in the school. After marriage, both of them dropped out of school. After the marriage, Sugandha became pregnant and Kuber, who was less than 15 years old, went to India to earn money. As a teenager, Kuber was given the responsibility of supporting his wife and children. When he got married before reaching the age, he missed school. At an early age, household chores, family responsibilities, childcare, and financial burdens were added.

After moving to India, Kuber started washing dishes at a hotel and sending home the usual expenses. Sugandha, who became a mother at an early age, could not take good care of the child and the child became malnourished. Currently the child is unwell. “The child has to take regular medicine. We got married to live together but we could not live together due to financial problems, ”said Sugandha.“ Currently, the marriage is regrettable. Maiti doesn’t even help because she ran away and got married. There are fights over work at home, but there is no home. ”

In the past, marriages demanded by parents before reaching the age of majority are now increasing in the name of runaway (love) marriages. In the past, underage marriages with the consent of the parents are now being done by the children themselves in the name of love, which has added to the challenge of reducing child marriage.

In this way, the life of a teenager who has got married before maturity has become difficult. In every school in Kailali, there are teenagers who get married before reaching the age of majority. It hurts the teacher to see the children in class 9/10 getting married while they are still studying, but what to do with the heartache? The teacher will remind you but there is no way to stop it. Deepak Kumar Das, principal of Moti High School, Motinagar, says that he has been transferred to the school for six months. “There are 7 married girls in class 10, the age of class 10 students is not more than 16/17,” said Principal Das. “There is no environment for married girls to study. When they have to do housework, they fall behind in their studies. ”

He says that there is a problem in recognizing early marriages easily. “How can a teenager study with the responsibility of marriage, drop out when she is not studying, her life is ruined by marriage,” he says. “We have appointed a teacher as a liaison person to raise public awareness against child marriage.” We inform about the provisions against child marriage in the regular school programs, but we have not been able to stop it. ”

Child marriage is a legal crime. There are various programs in schools to raise public awareness against child marriage but it has not been stopped. Teachers work to raise awareness. According to Nriparaj Bhandari, principal of Bhrukuti Secondary School, Suwarnapur, up to five children get married every year. “At present, there is an enrollment drive in our school. When we understood why four tribal girls did not come for admission, we got information that they were already married, ”said Bhandari. Some girls have gotten married because they did not have an education.

It is also mentioned in the school curriculum that child marriage should not be done. Last year, an invitation came to the school for the marriage of a girl student of Baljyoti Secondary School in Janaki village, but the school boycotted the marriage. The school has not been able to stop the work of raising public awareness against child marriage. Principal Bhojraj Chaudhary says that the wedding invitation was received at the school but they did not go to the party. “We want to boycott early marriages. We have been boycotted, ”said Principal Chaudhary.“ We cannot stop it not only by imparting knowledge, but also by the society and the parents to stop the marriage and give legal punishment. ”

Various organizations at the local level and local level are also running campaigns to reduce child marriage. The local government has explained that it is difficult to get the right to marry at an early age. Yamuna Bista, head of the women’s and children’s branch of Janaki village, says that they are working to spread awareness among the school level, parents and adolescents. “Child marriage is growing as a problem. We are continuing programs at the community level and in schools to reduce child marriage, “said Bista.” In the current fiscal year, we have also introduced various programs to keep parents and teenagers together.

Lawyer Balaram Bhattarai says that it is the responsibility of everyone to prevent child marriage as it causes health problems, mental problems and financial problems. Lawyer Bhattarai said 48 percent of children in the Far West are at risk of child marriage. “The far-western region is the second child marriage state in the country after Karnali. Underage marriage is a problem for the society and the nation,” Bhattarai said. In remote areas, 20.9 percent of children work as laborers. ”

Chairman of Janaki Village Municipality Pradip Kumar Chaudhary says that it is necessary to raise awareness to reduce child marriage. “The law does not recognize child marriage. The effects of child marriage are many. Life becomes unsafe without legal rights,” said Chairman Chaudhary.