November 2, Kathmandu - Despite the government's announcement to end child marriage by 2030, the incidence of child marriage is on the rise in Bagmati.

The Bagmati province government has passed a policy and program to end child marriage by 2078 BS. However, the ministry's study has shown that the trend of child marriage has changed. Many children are now fleeing to get married because of mobile phones. Due to which mother and baby are at more risk when getting married at a young age.

Nuwakot has the highest number of child marriages among the 13 districts of the state. Out of the total marriages in Nuwakot, 62.58 percent were child marriages. Similarly, child marriage was 62.9 percent in Dhading, 62.5 percent in Sindhuli, 60.92 percent in Sindhupalchowk and 59.7 percent in Makwanpur. Similarly, Rasuwa has 57.7 percent, Dolakha 53 percent, Chitwan 51 percent, Bhaktapur 44.52 percent, Lalitpur 41.91 percent and the lowest child marriage in the province is 39.11 percent in Kathmandu. Studies have shown that child marriage is more prevalent in the areas where the majority of the tribals live.

The Civil Act of 1910 set the minimum age for marriage at five years. The National Act of 2020 BS has fixed the age of 18 years for a girl and 20 years for a boy with the permission of the parents. Similarly, the Civil Code 2074 defines marriage before the age of 20 as child marriage and such marriages are automatically annulled.