Women in Dang district who were married in early ages are likely to undergo abortion more than once a year till they reach the age of 20, say experts.

Radha Paudel, a woman rights activist, said some women in the district were found to have aborted their babies up to six times in one year.

“By the time these women are 20, they have already given births to three or four babies,” said Paudel. “The health of both mothers and babies are at risk, and it all stems from the culture of child marriage.”

Shreedhar Gyawali, women and children officer of the district, said parents and their children alike need to understand the dangers of early marriage. He emphasised the need of a comprehensive social awareness campaign to educate the people about the perils of child marriage.

“Many women who got married in their early ages here were influenced by their parents and elders,” Gyawali said. “These women had followed the footsteps of their parents and now the teenage girls are likely to do the same.”

According to the 2011 National Census, 157,432 people in Dang had married while they were between the ages of 15 and 19 and 103, 467 of them were girls.

Sita Raut, who works for the District Police Women and Children Cell, said most of the teen girls who come from impoverished family background are forced to marry young. She also said that many child marriage cases in the district go unreported, making it difficult for the law enforcement agencies  and other concerned authorities to intervene.

Sexual assault cases up in Makwanpur

HETAUDA: Incidents of sexual violence against women in Makwanpur has increased compared to last year, according to the District Police Office. At least 31 incidents of sexual assaults have been registered at the office in the last nine months. Superinte- ndant of Police Meera Chaudhary said the office had recorded 31 incidents of sexual assaults through out the period of last year.