Nepal Government's Plans to Pay Men to Marry Widows Spark Protests

Nepalese women staged a protest here on Monday against government plans to pay men to marry widows.

Agency reports said the government plans to introduce a 50,000-rupee grant for marriages involving a widow.

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Rights campaigners, however, said the money should be spent instead on improving access to education and healthcare for widows and their children.

About 200 women participated in the march to denounce the center-left coalition government scheme to pay cash incentives to men for marrying widows, witnesses said.

Women shouted slogans like "You can't sell your mother," and "We don't want government dowries."

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They gathered before the government complex that houses the prime minister's office and shouted more slogans. Riot police stopped them, but there were no arrests or violence.

The government is of the view that the scheme will help widows who face social and cultural barriers in a majority-Hindu society.

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Source-ANI
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