UNFPA launched the State of World Population 2020 report — “Against my will: defying the practices that harm women and girls and undermine equality”. The report identifies harmful practices around the world ranging from breast ironing to virginity testing; it focuses on the three most prevalent harmful practices: female genital mutilation, child marriage and extreme gender bias against daughters in favour of sons.

Nepal has one of the highest rates of child marriage in Asia – an estimated 40 percent of Nepali girls are married before the age of 18. Similarly, son preference is leading to an increase in the practice of sex-selective abortion and resulting in sex ratio at birth imbalances among certain population groups across the country. This document contains key messages of SWOP 2020. 

The full SWOP 2020 report is available here.