Characteristics of Youth and Adolescent Population: There are about 8 million young people aged 10-24 in Nepal. According to the population census of 2001, about 40% of the Nepalese population is under 15 years of age and an additional 19.4% is between 15-24 years old. Nepalese population is therefore very young as the mean age is just 20 years (UNFPA). These rates can be seen as a consequence of early (forced) marriage and related early sexual activities. Girls and women, especially in mountainous regions, have a very low status compared to males; they are very dependent on their parents and then their husbands’ decisions.

Education / Socio Economic Development: Gender disparity is evident in the enrolment for primary level education, with boy at 88.7% and girls at 76.8%. This is lower and lower at the secondary level: 44.7% for boys and 35.8% for girls. Moreover, despite efforts made to improve the quality of education, primary education remains weak. Besides, illiteracy or lack of education among girls and women also seem to be related to early marriages and pregnancies. Political instability over the past years remains a threat for socio-economic development, especially for young people who migrate for better life conditions. Because of poverty, large rates of young people indeed migrate to big cities in search for employment, especially in garment and textile factories, but become vulnerable to sex trafficking and abuses, and therefore to SRH issues.

Health and Knowledge on Sexuality and Reproductive Health: Reproductive health indicators are poor: 90% of all births still happen at home and maternal mortality is estimated over 500 per 100,000 live births. Overall, 24% of the female adolescents aged 15-19 years are already mothers or pregnant with their first child. Women do not have the power to influence condom use. SHR is not discussed openly, and parents feel too embarrassed to discuss SRH with their children. Adolescents and youth, because of the lack of knowledge and information are vulnerable. They lack life skills to negotiate with their partners and make informed decisions about reproductive health behaviour. They also have limited knowledge on SRH rights issues and hygiene. HIV prevalence is less than 1% in the general adult population, but more than 5% in high risk marginalized groups, mainly young people: seasonal labour migrants, commercial sex workers and their clients and injecting drug users.

Traditional Values and Attitudes / Marriage: Nepal is a patriarchal society and female virginity is highly valued and is a prerequisite for marriage. 86% of the population is Hindu. Hinduism plays a role in the social status of women. Women’s sexual roles are defined by their relationship with men and also their position in society. There is a social taboo about menstruation as women are often isolated during their menstruation and should avoid contact with males (UNESCO). In some parts of Nepal such as Deuki and Badani, there is belief that if young girls are given to temples for prostitution, parents will go to heaven (UNESCO). The practice of early arranged marriage (about 44% of women aged 15-19 years are already married) is the major factor accounting for high proportion of teenagers who have begun child bearing, particularly in their late teens (MOH 2002). Men may have extramarital relationships; women are expected to be faithful.

Actions: Health and education programmes have been less affected by the conflict than other Government systems and development programmes. By maintaining neutrality and low profile, RHIYA NGOs were able to continue to implement projects in zones with a high Maoist presence. The conflict has reduced the frequency of supervision visits to the field, but overall RHIYA has managed to maintain the pace of implementation