child marriage - Page 6

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…

IHC Judgement on Child Marriage Case

Honourable Justice BABAR SATTAR of the The Islamabad High Court Issuing a…

Policy Brief on the Legal Framework for Child Marriage in Pakistan

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

Several held over girl’s marriage with elderly man

SWAT: The police on 6 May 2024 detained several individuals for their alleged involvement in solemnising marriage of a teenage girl to a 70 year-old man. Among those apprehended were the Nikah Khawan, the girl’s father, and witnesses to the ceremony. Initial reports from Ghaliegey police had stated that the…

Fistula and child marriages

Seema’s battle with fistula unveils the tragedy of early marriage, urging society to confront the intertwined dangers of child marriage and women’s health crises. Seema, a resident of Astore District of Gilgit-Baltistan, received the title, ‘Woman of the Year’, not for her achievements, but for a fate imposed upon her…

Unicef Pakistan launches National Gender Strategy

ISLAMABAD: Unicef Pakistan on 30 April, 20204 launched its National Gender Strategy (2024-2027) to bring about lasting and transformative change for millions of girls between 10-19 years. Unicef said that if the strategy was implemented effectively from urban to rural areas, it could drive change, address inequalities and improve the…

Bill proposed for increasing minimum age for girl marriage

LAHORE: The Child Protection Welfare Bureau (CPWB) has proposed the Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2024-25 to the Punjab government. The bill suggests increasing the minimum age for girls to marry to 18 years. CPWB Chairperson Sarah Ahmad has written to Punjab Home Secretary Noorul Amin Mengal, emphasizing the urgent need…

Legal Reforms for Preventing Girls from Child Marriage

Child marriages remain a pressing issue globally, affecting the lives of millions of young girls. According to UNICEF, one in every six young women is married during childhood. To combat this harmful practice, the National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC) has taken significant steps towards legal reforms in…

Curious case of Priya Kumari

IT was on Ashura, Aug 19, 2021, when nine year-old Priya Kumari went missing. Just before her disappearance or abduction she had been happily helping her father a syncretic Hindu who runs a sabeel every year in Muharram in Sangrar, a small town near Sukkur serve sherbet to thirsty mourners.…

NCRC letter on raising minimum age for marriage

NCRC is strongly advocating to raise the minimum marriageable age for girls to 18 years! The Commission has taken proactive steps by writing to provincial human rights and law departments in Punjab, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and ICT urging them to support this amendment and promptly present before the legislative assembly…

LHC directed Punjab Government to revise Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929

LAHORE: Declaring the definition of ‘child’ in the Child Marriage Act, 1929 unconstitutional, the Lahore High Court has directed the Punjab government to revise the provincial version of the legislation and end the age-based distinction between males and females. `The definition of child in the 1929 Act while making a…

Govt fails to enact law for prevention of child marriage

MANSEHRA: With a significant number of child marriage cases, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is still without any legislation to effectively check underage wedlock. According to government`s Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Project, which has been launched in 10 of 38 districts of the province since 2021, child brides are the worst victims…

Non-Muslim women vulnerable to forced conversion

ISLAMABAD: United Nations (UN) human rights experts have expressed dismay at the lack of protection for women and girls belonging to non-Muslim communities in Pakistan, saying that they remained vulnerable to forced marriages and conversions, Dawn.com reported. “Christian and Hindu girls remain particularly vulnerable to forced religious conversion, abduction, trafficking,…