Don’t Lower Girls' Age Of Marriage

In a troubling move that risks undermining decades of progress in gender equality and youth empowerment, the Nepal government is considering lowering the legal age of marriage from 20 to 18. Citing reasons such as legal inconsistencies and rising rape cases, the proposed revision of the Child Act and Criminal Code seems to offer a convenient, if not deeply flawed, solution to a much more difficult problem. To be clear, this is not a win for personal freedom. It is a legislative shortcut that risks plunging young women who are already marginalised by poverty, inadequate education, and patriarchal norms into early marriages with lifelong consequences.