ISLAMABAD: The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) on 29th May launched a video campaign featuring its National Ambassador for Child Rights, actor Saba Qamar, to raise awareness about the urgent need to end child marriage in Pakistan.
The video urges communities to speak out against the practice, highlights its impact on young girls, and calls for unified action to protect children and empower girls across the country.
“Why should any child in Pakistan be forced into a marriage and a future they did not choose?” Ms Qamar said. “With all the risks to their health and education, we cannot allow this to go unchallenged… I am proud to lend my voice to this campaign, for all the girls, and sometimes boys too, who suffer behind closed doors because of child marriage.”
Pakistan has the sixth highest number of child brides globally, with an estimated 19 million girls married before age 18, according to Unicef. Nearly half become pregnant before their 18th birthday, posing serious health risks to both mother and child. Only 13 per cent of married girls finish secondary school compared to 44pc of unmarried peers, limiting their future opportunities.
“Child marriage is often fuelled by poverty, but it is also deeply rooted in entrenched gender norms and societal expectations,” said Abdullah Fadil, Unicef representative in Pakistan. “We need legal reforms and enforcement, cultural change, and greater investment in adolescent girls — in their rights, their well-being and their potential.”
Unicef also welcomed the recent decision by the Islamabad Capital Territory to raise the minimum age of marriage to 18, joining Sindh, and encouraged all remaining provinces and territories to follow suit.
The campaign video is part of Unicef’s broader advocacy work with UNFPA, UN Women, and government partners. Efforts include raising the legal age of marriage to 18 across all provinces, engaging communities through dialogue and communication campaigns like Bolo (Speak up), and promoting girl-led activism.
“Ms Qamar is a powerful advocate for children,” Mr Fadil said. “We are proud to work with her to shine a light on the challenges too many children face, and to accelerate progress towards a future where every child — especially every girl — can learn, grow, and thrive.”
NCSW supports child marriage law
Meanwhile, the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) has affirmed its support for the Child Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Act, Islamabad Capital Territory, which sets the minimum legal marriage age at 18 for both sexes, following a recent ruling on the matter by the Council of Islamic Ideology.
In a statement, the NCSW hailed the legislative reform as “a crucial step towards upholding the rights of children, particularly girls, and aligning national laws with constitutional mandates and international human rights commitments”.
The commission noted the amendment is based on extensive consultations and the legal principle that marriage, a legally binding contract, must meet the same foundational requirements as other civil contracts. Currently, individuals under 18 cannot obtain a Computerised National Identity Card, register to vote or acquire a driving licence.
“As the law deems a person under 18 incapable of voting and driving due to presumed legal and developmental immaturity, such individuals should not be permitted to enter a far more consequential contract — ‘marriage’, which carries lifelong implications for personal, social and reproductive health,” the NCSW said.
The commission said it has organised countrywide consultations discussing child marriage’s implications, especially severe health risks for young girls from early pregnancies. It added that “in several such engagements, members of religious institutions and clerics extended their understanding and support for the proposed legal reforms”.
Kalbe Ali in Islamabad also contributed to this report
Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2025
