Two and half year-old Sani Mani is playing with her doll. She has just started walking but she is already getting married in the next six months.
In Dom community in Jitpur, situated in Bara district, practice of child marriage prevails. Her mother Reena said that she is going to be married to a 3 year-old boy from Parsa, Sathwal. She also added that her six year-old son Inda Mali is also going to get married in Parsa’s Dhurmi on the same day.
Laying her daughter in her lap, Reena said, “You are cordially invited to the wedding. We already have arranged necessary things for the ceremony.” While she was talking, her daughter fidgets around for milk unknown to the fact that she is getting married at such a young age.
Reena said that every one is married in their early childhood in the village. 8 year-old Chanda Mali has been married for the past five years. But still she doesn’t remember her husband’s name. She said that she doesn’t even remember her husband’s face.
“I only remember getting married,” a child from Jitput-3 Domtole said. She said, “I don’t even remember his face.” She was married to a boy from her neighboring district, Raxul, which is only around 30 KM north from Jitpur but her husband never came to meet her. Laughing softly she said, “He will come and get me when we are both adults.” Even though the marriages take place early, they don’t stay together until they are adults.
These children don’t know the importance of marriage and don’t remember their husband’s name or face because they are married way early. 5 year-old Chandana Mali who married got married 16 months ago remembers her husbands face but doesn’t remember the name. “I will recognize him if I meet him,” she said, adding, “But I forgot his name.” Chandana, who sells basket made by her parents in the market, said that she remembers her husband sometimes. “I remember him when someone in the village gets married and when I watch dramas in the television,” she said. Adding to that she said that she remembers him when her friends tease her talking about her husband.
Chandana’s mother said that Chandana was married in Chaitra of 2065 in Bara’s Parsoni. “In our community our children are married at an early age because it’s difficult to find a groom later and we have to give more dowries,” she said.
Chairman of Tharu Kalyankari Sabha, Ramnarayan Gauro, said that people marry early in Dom community. “Even though they don’t stay together until they are adult, getting married during childhood harms a child’s freedom,” he said. “Being someone’s husband or wife in childhood is not good.” He added that this kind of practice plays negative role on a child’s mind.
A report presented by UNICEF a few years ago states that 40% of girls in Nepal are married before they reach the age of 15, which is very high compared to other south Asian countries. 6 % in India, 4% in Pakistan, 12% in Maldives and only 0.2 % in Srilanka. To escape from the heavy dowry and the tension to search for a good bride/groom, children are married in their early age. The law regarding child marriages are also not very effective in the country.
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