Your Name and Title: Priti Bhattarai, Board Member, Rukmini Foundation
School or Organization Name: Rukmini Foundation
Co-Presenter Name(s): Priti Bhattarai and Prakriti Nepal
Area of the World from Which You Will Present: Kathmandu, Nepal and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Language in Which You Will Present: English
Target Audience(s): Educators, Policy makers, Youths, Teachers and Education and Child advocates
Short Session Description (one line):
Our presentation will focus on rural parts of Nepal, where child marriage is very prevalent, and discuss the impact NGOs can have in combatting this issue by teaching both children and communities the importance and value of education.
Full Session Description (as long as you would like):
In Nepal, a poverty stricken country where patriarchal thoughts are deeply embedded in the country’s culture, convincing families to allow girls to get an education is a major challenge. Due to social and economic factors Nepali girls, especially that of rural areas, are forced to be a child bride. Child marriage is a crime against humanity and it deprives millions of girls from obtaining basic education. Although child marriage was outlawed by the Nepali government in 1963, the ritual is still practiced, especially among the rural and economically deprived communities. Both government and NGOs have made efforts to tackle this issue and some positive changes has been made over the years. Although government figures show a decrease in the number of child marriages, the progress is far from satisfactory and an increased effort is required to allow these girls to have a better future.
In the first part of the session, we will present basic background on the current situation of child marriage in Nepal. We will analyze the socio-economic aspects of the practice, while sharing data on child marriage. We will also present a case study of Pharping, a rural part of Kathmandu region, to address how community based organization, Rukmini Foundation, is working to decrease child marriages.
In the second part of the presentation, we will analyze the major outcomes and challenges Rukmini Foundation has faced in their endeavor to decrease child marriage.
Websites / URLs Associated with Your Session:
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