‘No Child’s Play’ hopes to end adolescent marriages

Initiative wants to arm young people with education and socioeconomic opportunities.

LAHORE: In order to help young people making well-thought-out and informed decisions, a project aimed at preventing child marriages was launched with the support from Oxfam in Pakistan.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Oxfam Project Coordinator Wasim Durrani said young people are a tremendous force for change and Oxfam continues to prioritise supporting young girls and boys in learning about their rights. “We also want to see them grow in confidence and actively shape their own futures.”

The project ‘Marriage: No Child’s Play’ is a multi-country initiative designed to equip young people, especially young girls, with education and socioeconomic opportunities through policy reforms. The project will be implemented in Muzaffargarh and Lodhran districts in Punjab and Larkana and Shikarpur districts in Sindh over the next five years.



Under the project, Oxfam’s implementing partner in Punjab, Bedari, will be providing services to 106,074 beneficiaries, including 31,760 girls, 24,920 boys. As many as 39,700 people from the community, 8,160 parents, and 1,534 officials, professionals and committee members will take part in the project.

The project will also bring about policy reforms in Punjab and Sindh and improve access to quality health services for adolescents.

In her welcome note, Bedari Executive Director Anbreen Ajaib reminded the audience that child brides were at a far greater risk of dying during childbirth. “This must change. Our girls must be given a chance to excel in life,” she said. She said the issue of early marriages had to be addressed using holistic approach by working with community attitude on one hand and bringing policy reforms on the other.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 26^th, 2017.