A 19-year-old girl from ward 9 of Birendranagar Municipality married a man from Kalikot district in November 2022. They knew each other, had a brief relationship, and tied the knot with their parents’ consent. But their marriage barely lasted two years.

“I got pregnant soon after the wedding, and that’s when physical and mental abuse began. I endured the tortures for the sake of social prestige, but when it became unbearable, I had no choice but to call it quits,” said the woman, who is now 21, and divorced. “The society blamed me saying that my husband left her. But the truth is, early marriage ruined my life,” said the young mother of a son.

An 18-year-old girl from ward 12 of Gurbhakot Municipality, married a local man in 2018. She is now a single mother of two. She got divorced in January last year due to excessive abuse from her husband and in-laws.

“I married too young, at just 18. I quit studies and everything and chose a husband. But he abandoned me,” the woman lamented. “Motherhood came too early and that made me physically weak. On top of that, the constant abuse became unbearable, forcing me to choose divorce,” she shared her ordeal. Now, she and her children are living at her maternal home. According to her, the man had pledged to pay for the education of the children, but he is out of contact now.

Cases of divorce in Surkhet have surged markedly in recent years. As per the data available at the district court in Surkhet, a total of 3,181 cases were filed at the court seeking divorce over the past five years. Among them 2,376 couples divorced. According to Nirmala Kumari Khadka, registrar at Surkhet district court, child marriage and domestic violence are the leading causes of divorce among young couples.

The Civil Code 2017 sets the minimum age for marriage—for both women and men—in Nepal at 20 years. Nepal abolished child marriage in 1963, but the practice is still rampant in rural areas despite various attempts of the government authorities and social organisations to eradicate it.

Divorce cases are high not only in Surkhet, but also in other districts of the Karnali Province. Surkhet, Rukum West and Salyan top the list while Humla has the least number of divorces in the past five years. A total of 1,328 divorces were registered in the court in Rukum West while 1,125 similar cases were lodged in Salyan district. A total of 84 and 98 divorce cases were registered in Humla and Mugu, respectively.

Khadka asserts that divorce cases have increased in Surkhet and other districts with the promulgation of new civil and criminal code 2017. The new code has simplified the divorce process for both men and women. “Earlier, men could not easily file for divorce in court and cases took a long time to process. Now, if both spouses agree, they can get a divorce within two days,” said registrar Khadka.

Under the new civil and criminal code, a man can also file for divorce directly. Previously, they had to submit their case at the local unit and district administration office, and it would only be forwarded to the court after a year if deemed reasonable.

Advocate Durga Sapkota also agrees that divorce cases have risen with the implementation of the new civil and criminal code. According to her, domestic violence is the leading cause of divorce cases registered by women. “Some couples file for divorce within a year of marriage. The new law has made the process much easier,” he said.

Divorce can have severe consequences for children. “Children of divorced parents are at higher risk of drug abuse, involvement in crimes, and suicide. Many such children are mentally disturbed and some of them run away from homes,” said Anil Dhakal, a child rights activist.