Rinku Thakur campaigns against child marriage in Madhesh province

Rinku Thakur travels to remote villages in Madhesh province, Nepal, to educate girls and women about child marriage, nutritional health, and legal rights.

Thakur began her advocacy after she refused an arranged marriage at age 17 and left her family home in Birgunj in 2016. Her family had already paid a dowry of Rs130,000 to a groom's family in Bihar, India, before she walked away to pursue her education.

Thakur currently works with the non-governmental organisation Protection Nepal in Katahariya Municipality, Rautahat district. She visits schools and villages to assess women's health and nutritional status while teaching about the dangers of early pregnancy and the dowry system. She also conducts sessions on cybercrime and online harassment targeting young women. Thakur advocates for parents to prioritize their daughters' education and self-reliance over traditional social pressures.

Police records show that Madhesh province registered 2,531 suicide cases between the fiscal years 2023-24 and 2024-25, with women and girls accounting for over 55 percent of those deaths. Senior Superintendent of Police Sitaram Rijal attributed these issues to poverty and illiteracy. Rijal plans to involve Thakur in district-wide awareness drives to curb domestic abuse and forced marriages.