Child Rights Advocates Urge Keeping Legal Minimum Marriage Age at 20 Years

April 14, Kathmandu – Child rights activists have called for maintaining the legal minimum age of marriage at 20 years. They have urged rejecting proposals to lower it to 18 years, citing negative impacts such changes would have on children’s education, health, and overall development. During a discussion event on the role of media organized by the National Child Rights Peace Zone Campaign (CJP) under the ‘Marriage Beyond 20’ campaign, speakers presented data and arguments supporting that the minimum legal marriage age should not be below 20 years.

Tarak Dhital, former Executive Director of the National Child Rights Council, shared findings from various studies showing that lowering the minimum marriage age severely affects educational attainment, mental health, economic status, social welfare, and reproductive health. He cited examples from countries such as China, South Korea, and India, where the legal minimum marriage age is set at 20 years or higher. Dhital emphasized the need for the federal, provincial, and local governments, the private sector, and media professionals to actively implement the Government of Nepal’s Child Marriage Ending Strategy 2072 effectively.

According to Article 39 of Nepal’s Constitution, children must not be forced into child marriage, while Section 173 of the Muluki Criminal Code 2074 criminalizes marriages conducted before the age of 20. Tilottama Paudel, Chairperson of CJP, rejected the argument that early marriage lowers child marriage rates. She warned that early marriage and childbirth increase risks such as infant mortality. Paudel also rejected the notion that marriages under 20 years with mutual consent of both parties should be recognized legally.