There is an interesting article in the New York Times about a tradition of Child Marriage in some Nepalese community and its rise in other parts of the World as well. In the article, reporters Bhadra Sharma and Jeffrey Gettleman highlight how “the coronavirus pandemic has worsened economic distress and other factors that lead to such unions. Studies show a clear link between marrying early and dying young”.

According to a recent UN report, Child marriage is increasing is alarming levels in many countries across the globe, including Nepal. The coronavirus pandemic is reversing years of hard-earned progress toward keeping young women in school says the report. The UN Children’s Fund predicts that “an additional 10 million girls this decade will be at risk of child marriage, defined as a union before the age of 18.”

Covid-19 has made an already difficult situation for millions of girls even worse.

Henrietta Fore, UNICEF’s executive director (Source: The New York Times)

“Experts say the pandemic has intensified the factors that drive child marriage, such as a lack of education, economic hardship, parental death and teen pregnancy, which has been amplified by disruptions in getting contraception” the Times reports.