Child Marriage in Rise in Baitadi Due To Facebook and Mobile Phones

In the recent days, widespread use of Facebook and Mobile phones has led to increase in child marriage in Baitadi, reports Online Khabar.

Since children are seen carrying mobile phones from an early age, Social Activists say that misuse of the communication mediums is the main reason for the increase in child-marriage cases.

As per organizations working with children, teenagers in Baitadi use phone and Facebook to make plans of eloping. Sapna Rana Magar, member of Youth Club Baitadi, believes that a local law should be created that forbids the children of Baitadi to use mobile phones before the age of 12.

Regina Taylor, a teenager, stated that those who were actively undertaking awareness activities in order to reduce child-marriage were also found eloping. She added that these days teenagers in Baitadi are running away by making plans through phones and facebook.

She also stated that mobiles have become one of the major reasons for many rape cases with teenagers. As Baitadi is connected to India, teenagers have been using Facebook and phones to run away to India.

Police have reported that 24 youths have been rescued from the border of Baitadi, Jhulaghat, in the current fiscal year.

Meanwhile, a strategic action plan has been prepared for the end of child-marriage in Baitadi. The strategic action plan has been prepared to declare Baitadi district free from child-marriage as per the government announcement to declare Nepal child-marriage-free in 2030.

Ganesh Shahi, District Program Officer of the United Nations Population Fund, informed that the vice-presidents, teenagers, journalists and other heads of all the 10 local levels of Baitidi had discussed and drafted the strategic plan to put a stop to child-marriage.