Proposed ‘Romeo and Juliet’ law may spare boys, but what about girls?

The proposed close-in-age exemption may protect boys from rape charges over consensual relationships. Critics say it leaves untouched social conditions that make girls vulnerable.

In Saptari, a girl aged 15 and a boy of 17 fell in love and eloped after their families opposed their relationship. The girl’s family filed a case against the boy for rape and abduction. However, by the time the case reached Nepal’s Supreme Court in 2022, the couple had married and had a child. The court cleared the boy of rape and abduction but still sentenced him to six months for child marriage. Even then the couple stayed together and the criminal record stayed intact as well.