By Robin Pierson, Special to the Independent
Fearing that their daughter could be sexually assaulted due to the family’s lack of substantial housing, a 13-year-old’s parents in rural Nepal decided it would be better to marry her off.
Child marriages were outlawed in Nepal in 1963, but 750,000 Nepalese wed between 10 and 14 years old, a 2011 census showed.
The marriage of children, especially young girls, is on the rise since an earthquake struck Nepal last year. The 7.8 magnitude quake killed 8,500 people and destroyed 505,000 homes.
Rabindra Situala, a representative in Nepal for Laguna Beach local Rosalind Russell’s R Star Foundation, witnessed the plight of one such child bride. The nonprofit has given income-producing goats to women in 50 rural Nepali villages over the years.
Situala asked the parents why they were pursuing a marriage for their daughter, who was enrolled in school. Without a proper house, they feared she might be raped, which would reflect poorly on their responsibility to guard their daughter’s chastity.
The nonprofit CARE, working to end child marriage, also reports a post-quake upswing in child marriage and trafficking as criminals prey on orphaned children and young women.
To date, R Star has distributed 32,000 mosquito nets, helped rebuild 25 homes in one village and is pursuing donations to help rebuilding.
Donations can be sent to P.O. Box 4183, Laguna Beach, Calif., 92652, or call Russell at 497-4911.
