Arrange marriages are commonly associated with young girls and women being married off to a young boys or men, respectively, but there is also a practice of arranging marriages for child grooms in Nepal. This has probably been going around for a while but has not been reported on as much as child brides so this practice was somewhat surprising to me.
Arrange marriages for young children, as young as nine years old are becoming more common even though marriage before 18 years old is illegal is Nepal. Since this is a common practice for the poor population the government looks the other way. The benefits for arranging child grooms are a way for poor families to "get rid of responsibilities" of taking care of their children because once you are married you are responsible for yourself and future family, also the younger the groom the "cheaper" the dowery the brides' family has to offer.
Some young grooms struggle with being a young husband while being a "dutiful" son. The emotional struggles are real and have a powerful effect on the young couple, especially the husband. Where do their loyalties lie and how can they balance being a young husband and being a "son".
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