Voices of Youth: School-Level Oratory Competitions
In Nepal's Madhesh Province, child marriage rates remain among the highest in the country. Girls as young as fourteen are married off, their education truncated, their futures foreclosed by decisions made without their consent. Legal provisions exist — Nepal's law sets eighteen as the minimum age for marriage — but the gap between legislation and lived reality is vast, sustained by poverty, tradition, and a pervasive lack of awareness. WCSD identified schools as a vital front in this battle, recognising that young people are not passive recipients of culture but active shapers of it.
What Was Done
School-Level Oratory Competitions were organised across two secondary schools in Janakpurdham, with three separate sessions engaging 300 to 400 students. Participants prepared and delivered speeches on child marriage and its legal consequences, gender inequality, the value of girls' education, and youth's role in social transformation. Teachers, school administrators, and local stakeholders were involved throughout, lending credibility to the exercise and embedding the themes into the broader school environment.
Why It Matters
The impact extends far beyond the competition hall. Students compelled to research and articulate the case against child marriage become carriers of that knowledge — sharing it with siblings, parents, and friends through the natural channels of peer communication. Post-competition feedback showed marked improvement in students' understanding of child rights, gender equality, and legal provisions, alongside a heightened sense of personal responsibility for social change. Schools, at least temporarily, became safe spaces for difficult conversations — and several student participants committed to continuing those conversations long after the event.
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