Provincial governments must develop legislation controlling cousin marriages and discourage the practice
HYDERABAD: As widely reported in the media, 16 members of a family from Sindh developed mysterious mental and physical disabilities with cousin marriages being discovered as the reason. Among the literate circles, cousin marriages have for long been believed to be the cause of genetic disorders, however only recently cases combined with the researches have supported the notion. Yet, in South Asian societies cousin marriages are still prevalent for cultural and social factors. There’s still a long way to go before families start accepting the reality and not rely on fate and luck for a happy and healthy offspring, particularly in rural areas.
As researches and awareness alone won’t achieve the purpose, provincial governments must develop legislation controlling cousin marriages and discourage the practice.
Anam Wahid
Published in The Express Tribune, February 17th, 2019.
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