The Nepalese government is preparing to lower the legal marriage age from 20 to 18. Officials believe that keeping the marriage age at 20 has led to an increase in sexual crimes. To address this, the government has decided to amend child laws and the criminal code to facilitate this change.

Minister Ajay Chaurasia stated that the current marriage age has not yielded the expected results, and the government is considering two models. The first is reducing the marriage age, and the second is introducing a "Romeo and Juliet Law." This law, implemented in some U.S. states, does not classify sexual relations between young couples as rape if they are within a three-year age gap, even if they are underage and unmarried.

According to Nepal's Criminal Procedure Code 2017, any sexual relationship with a girl under 18 is considered sexual assault, even with her consent. As a result, many young men face criminal charges for marrying underage girls, even in cases of mutual consent and love marriages. To address this issue, the government has decided to lower the marriage age to 18.