Matihani raising awareness to discourage child marriage practices

By Nagendra Kumar Karna,Mahottari, June 3: Matihani Municipality in Mahottari district has been actively carrying out various awareness generating programmes to discourage child marriage practices.

With the goal of declaring the municipality a child marriage-free zone by 2026, Matihani has accelerated its policy and awareness-based initiatives in recent years.

Under the slogan “Let’s not talk about marriage before turning twenty,” the municipality has mobilised religious figures such as priests, pandits, and maulanas to help reduce the prevalence of child marriage. Additionally, parents who refrain from marrying off their underage children have been recognised and honoured in public ceremonies.

To further support this cause, the municipality has initiated skills-based training for adolescents and launched several public awareness campaigns. Mayor Hariprasad Mandal informed that a number of skill-development trainings specifically targeting adolescent girls have been conducted, alongside staging street dramas to spread awareness.

He shared that for the past four years, Matihani Municipality has been organising various programmes aimed at reducing child marriage. Most recently, a series of street dramas focusing on the dangers of child marriage was staged across all nine wards of the municipality, under the leadership of the Women, Children and Senior Citizens Section.

Deepa Das, head of this section, explained that street dramas are being performed in 10 different locations with the support of the Janakpur-based Rangdarpan organisation. The initiative began in Ward No. 6 and aims to raise awareness about the negative impact of child marriage on physical and mental health.

Das highlighted that factors such as poor economic and social development, low educational attainment, high birth rates, maternal mortality, and the trend of elopement are major contributors to the high prevalence of child marriage in the Madhes region, particularly among its most marginalised communities. 

Mayor Mandal further stated that, over the past four years, more than seventy parents who chose not to engage in child marriage have been publicly honoured with traditional shawls and certificates. Special skill-building programmes have also been tailored for adolescent girls.

Just a month ago, the municipality organised a one-month Mithila Painting Skill Development Training for girls who have pledged not to marry early. A total of 30 adolescent girls participated in the training.

According to Nepal’s latest national census, the child marriage rate across the 20 districts of the Tarai-Madhes region stands at 42.2 per cent. In Mahottari district, the rate is even higher at 43.3 per cent. Current Nepali law stipulates that those who engage in or facilitate child marriage can face up to three years of imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs. 30,000.