Photo exhibition depicts Sindh's post-flood plight

A photography exhibition documenting the impact of climate change, catastrophic flooding, poverty and child marriage in Sindh opened in Karachi on Tuesday, bringing into focus the stories of young girls whose lives were shaped by environmental disasters.

Titled "The Too-Young Monsoon Wives," the exhibition features the work of French photographer Isabeau de Rouffignac, who travelled to Sindh following the devastating floods and photographed communities dealing with the aftermath of the disaster.

The three-day exhibition is being presented by Alliance Française de Karachi in collaboration with the French Embassy in Pakistan and Avari Towers.

Rouffignac's photographs explore the social consequences of flooding beyond the immediate destruction caused by rising waters. Among the stories she documented were those of families who married their daughters at a very young age in the aftermath of the floods.

The exhibition combines photographs with short texts that provide context about the girls and their experiences, highlighting the link between poverty, climate-related disasters and child marriage.

Speaking at the opening, Director of Alliance Française de Karachi Emmanuel Breurec said the photographer had travelled to Sindh during the catastrophic floods and documented their consequences.

"The French photographer Isabeau de Rouffignac is presenting this exhibition with Alliance Française. She came to Pakistan, to Sindh, during the catastrophic floods and took pictures of the consequences that happened there after the floods. She found that one of the consequences was that families had to marry their daughters too early. So, it is their story, actually. You can see the pictures and a little text about those girls being married at a very early age."

Breurec said Rouffignac could not attend the opening in person but had sent a video message for the event.