Nepal: Activists & girls urge PM not to lower legal age of marriage

As debates over lowering legal marriage age intensify in Nepal, various girls clubs from Madhesh Pradesh have written to the Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli  not to reduce the marriage age, as it would adversely affect girls’ education and career prospects.  Women and child rights activists opposed lowering the marriage age, arguing that existing legal provisions were achieved through persistent advocacy and changes to present law would undermine women’s and children’s rights. Expressing concerns over the proposed reduction of legal marriage age from 20 to 18 years, the teenage girls from eight districts of Madhes Province submitted individual requests to the Prime Minister. 
Recently, the parliamentary sub-committee under the Law, Justice, and Human Rights Committee of the House of Representatives has recommended lowering the legal marriage age from 20 to 18. Their study, conducted in Madhes, Lumbini, and Sudurpaschim Provinces, highlighted a gap between legal provisions and social practices in rural areas. The subcommittee observed that the rigid enforcement of this law has led to unintended consequences, particularly in cases involving young couples who choose to live together before reaching the legal age. Often, such relationships, when reported to authorities, result in legal actions such as charges of rape or kidnapping, further complicating the lives of those involved. The subcommittee has recommended clearer provisions in the law to distinguish between consensual relationships and criminal offences.
Nepal’s Constitution recognises child marriage as a violation of child rights and a punishable offence. Supporting laws, including the National Child Policy, the Children’s Act, the Criminal Code, and the National Strategy to End Child Marriage, aim to eliminate child marriage. Under the Civil Code, the legal marriage age is 20 years, with violators facing up to three years in prison and fines of up to Rs. 10,000.