child marriage - Page 3

SPARC State of Pakistan’s Children Report

“State of Children Report” is an annual publication produced by the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC), a non-governmental organization based in Pakistan. The report provides information on the situation of children in the country, covering various aspects such as health, education, violence against children, juvenile justice system, etc. The report is widely cited by…

Child Marriages – A Vicious Cycle of Poverty and Abuse

KARACHI: Despite being illegal, child marriages continue to affect millions of young lives, perpetuating cycles of poverty, gender bias, and inequality. According to a study, 18 percent of girls in Pakistan get married before the age of 18, leading to severe consequences on their health, education, and overall well-being. This…

Policy Brief on the Legal Framework for Child Marriage in Pakistan

Child marriage is a significant issue in Pakistan, where according to the…

A Silent Epidemic: Child Sexual Abuse in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Thirteen-year-old Asim* was quieter than usual when he returned to his home…

Monsoon Brides: Extreme Weather Fuels Child Marriages In Pakistan

DADU: As monsoon rains loomed over Pakistan, 14-year-old Shamila and her 13-year-old sister Amina were married off in exchange for money—a decision their parents made to help the family survive the impending threat of floods. “I was happy to hear I was getting married… I thought my life would become…

NCRC, Scholars Address Child Marriage, Birth Registration

Islamabad: NCRC Pakistan, convened 3rd meeting of its Working Group of Religious Scholars. Agenda for the meeting was to initiate a dialogue on crucial issues like Child Marriage and Birth Registration among the religious leaders/scholars and to present research being conducted by NCRC in collaboration with UNICEF Pakistan and Oxford…

NCSW, Unicef Launch Campaign Against Child Marriage

ISLAMABAD: The National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) on 29 July hosted the launch of the ‘Bolo (Speak Out) Child Marriage Communication Campaign’ with its consortium partners Unicef, UNFPA, and UN Women. This event, which aimed at raising the minimum age of marriage to 18 across the country,…

The Unfortunate Trend Of Child Marriage

Child Marriage, one of the unfortunate and rampant trends, takes place in several parts of the country despite being prohibited under the relevant laws. Child marriage is a serious violation of children’s rights, something that ensures gender inequality. Young girls, in particular, are denied to enjoy their rights to education…

Christians’ Marriage Age Bar Raised To 18

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on 22 July signed into law the Christian Marriage (Amendment) Act 2024, raising the minimum age for Christian men and women to eighteen years. The president accorded assent to the Act under Article 75 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan during a…

Parents Get Permanent Custody Of Teenage Girl

A family court has awarded permanent custody of a teenage girl who was reported kidnapped from Karachi in April 2022 but was later found to have purportedly contracted freewill marriage in Lahore, to her parents. Judge Salamat Ali Soomro granted an application filed by the girl’s parents — Syed Mehdi…

Child Marriage Plagues Minor Girls

The rocky years of adolescence are rarely a smooth sail for budding adults, with sudden physical, emotional, and psychological changes taking a huge toll on their overall wellbeing. While an awkward pimple or emotional breakdown might exhaust an average teenager coping with the upsetting effects of puberty, for minor girls…

Attempt to marry 13-year-old girl to 72-year-old man foiled

Peshawar: According to a reported news, KP Police arrest elderly groom and nikah registrar, but the child bride’s father manages to escape. Police in Peshawar, the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, thwarted an attempt by a 72-year-old man to marry a 13-year-old girl. According to police sources, in the Tangi area of…

Out-of-school children vulnerable to anxiety, depression, other mental health issues

KARACHI: Pakistan has the world’s second highest number of out-of-school children whose numbers have grown dramatically since 2021. Deprived of life’s basic necessities, these children are more vulnerable to stress, trauma, and social isolation, leading to anxiety, depression and other mental health issues, shared an expert on the second day…

MPA submits child marriage restraint bill in PA

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MPA Sobia Shahid on 7 June 2024 submitted Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Child Marriage Restraint Bill, 2024 to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Secretariat. She said the bill was aimed to make child marriage a cognisable offence, adding under the bill, whoever committed the offence would be punished with…