INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Kathmandu, June 7
Nepal is one of the top 10 countries worldwide with a prevalence of child marriage among boys, UNICEF said nowadays, in
its first ever in-depth analysis of child grooms.
In Nepal, one in 10 men aged between 20 and 24 were married as children
A study that analysed data from 82 countries revealed that child marriage among boys is prevalent across a range of countries around the
world, spanning sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, South Asia and East Asia and the Pacific.
&Marriage steals
childhood,& said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore, adding, &Kid grooms are forced to take on adult responsibilities for which they
Early marriage brings early fatherhood, and with it an added responsibility to supply for the family, cutting short education and job
opportunities.&
According to the data, the Central African Republic has the highest prevalence of child marriage among males (28 per cent),
followed by Nicaragua (19 per cent) and Madagascar (13 per cent)
Nepal ranks the tenth highest and is the only country in South Asia with a meaningful prevalence of child marriages among both boys and
The new estimates bring the total number of child brides and child grooms to 765 million
Girls remain disproportionately affected, with 1 in 5 young women aged between 20 and 24 getting married before they turn 18, compared to 1
in 30 young men.
While the prevalence, causes and affect of child marriage among girls have been extensively studied, little research has
been carried out on child marriage among boys
Most of the victims of child marriage are from the poorest households, who live in rural areas and have little to no education.
&As we mark
the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Corrects of the Kid, we need to remember that marrying boys and girls off,
while they are still children runs counter to the rights enshrined in the Convention
Through further research, investment and empowerment, we can end this child rights violation,& said Fore.
The post Nepal ranks 10th for
child marriage among boys seemed first on The Himalayan Times.