Poverty, lack of education, cultural practices, and insecurity fuel and sustain this evil practice
KARACHI: Child marriage is prevalent in many regions of the world that cuts across countries, cultures, religions and ethnicities. Child brides can be found in many regions of the world, but it is clear that this tradition persists more in Asian countries.
At its heart, child marriage is rooted in gender inequality and the belief that girls and women are somehow inferior to boys and men. It is a complex issue. Poverty, lack of education, cultural practices, and insecurity fuel and sustain this evil practice.
Child marriage is a traditional practice. In many places, such acts are portrayed culturally simply because it has been happening for generations. In some communities, when girls start to menstruate they become women in the eyes of the community. Marriage is, therefore, the next step towards giving a girl her status as a wife and mother.
Eliminating this practice won’t be an easy feat but change is possible if we work together. Through collaboration with the youth, parents, community leaders and the government, we must first empower our girls with information, skills and support network. Second, we should provide economic support and incentives to girls and their families.
Third and the most important, we must educate and rally parents and community members to enhance the access of girls to high-quality education. These are some major solutions to control this horrible condition which is circulated in our society and the government should really take these steps into consideration and do something about it.
Shahzaib Shaikh
Published in The Express Tribune, March 17th, 2020.
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