Child marriages behind school dropouts
Activists demonstrate outside a court in Iraq's capital Baghdad in protest against the legalisation of a marriage contract for a 12-year-old girl. PHOTO: AFP
Child marriages and associated socio-economic vulnerabilities as one of the key contributing factors in secondary school dropouts.
This was revealed in a survey conducted by Blue Veins, a non-governmental organisation and Pakistan Education Champion Network, on girls education, child and forced marriages in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P).
The study highlights multi-level challenges associated with girls’ education.
The research was conducted collaboration with Women Parliamentary Caucus (WPC) K-P Assembly, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Child Protection and Welfare Commission, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Commission on the Status of Women KPCSW.
The research aimed at focusing on identification on the barriers to girls’ education and how child and early marriages affects girls’ enrollment, retention, and dropout of education especially at the secondary level.
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The participants recognizing the efforts and importance of research findings, called for multi-sectoral and strategic response to address the invisible underlying factors related to both girls' education and the practice of child marriages.
“The government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa is committed to the economic, political, and social empowerment of women and girls, especially those living in marginalized settings,” said provincial minister Shaukat Yousafzai.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 27th, 2022.