Child marriage

Letter January 17, 2020
Girls are prevented from completing their education

TURBAT: Entrenched in gender discrimination and structural inequality, child marriage initiates a cycle of lifelong disadvantage for girls. According to a report of Save the Children, Pakistan is ranked 88th out of the 144 countries where underage marriages, compounded by discriminatory social norms, affect large numbers of girls. In Pakistan, because early marriage is attributed to poverty and the lack of education, women suffer at multiple stages of their lives.

Girls are prevented from completing their education; they endure increased health risks and face domestic violence and abuse. It is the state’s duty to use its power to ensure that girls are accorded equal chance to live, learn and be protected.

Last year, the move to increase the legal marriageable age from 16 to 18 years was rejected outright by the Council of Islamic Ideology. They should have some cogent reasons.

From the legal standpoint the minimum marriageable age for girls must be 18 in all related legislations, with Sindh’s Child Marriage Legislation as a precedent, the Federal Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929 and Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act 2015 should both be revised.

Such laws are in contravention of Pakistan’s international obligations, the UN convention on the rights of the child included. Stopping child marriage has significant bearing on women’s education. The state must challenge discriminatory social norms for stopping child marriage and educate girls properly.

Seema Shakeel

Published in The Express Tribune, January 17th, 2020.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.