Married to debt

The handing over of small girls in exchange for money is not entirely an uncommon practice in Pakistan. It has been known for years in this part of the world. What is unfortunate is that the problem continues year after year, decade after decade, with no permanent end in sight. The latest case reported involves a 10-year-old child from Chiniot, forcibly wed by her father to a 60-year-old man to settle a debt of Rs60,000. The girl’s protests when being made to affix her thumb impression on the nikah form led neighbours to call in police. The demonstration of responsibility in this case may have saved the girl and spared her a cruel fate. It is a positive sign that we see sufficient awareness of the law to lead to such violations being brought to the notice of authorities and action taken to rescue the victim. But even now the man wedding the girl, stated to be connected to local landlords, seems confident despite the registration of a case that he will be able to escape scot-free. This of course would be a terrible miscarriage of justice.

We also do not know how many cases of child marriage, in violation of the law, take place across the country. Only a small number are reported.  In southern Punjab, Sindh and other parts of the country, girls not yet in their teens are regularly married off, often to repay debts or as a means of solidifying ties between tribes or clans. To end the practice we need greater awareness and a greater willingness on the part of members of communities to act against those involved in such customs. Only through such action can we hope to see an end to the marriage of children and indeed to other acts of barbarity that take place either because of economic need or because our so-called ‘traditions’ mandate them.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 9^th, 2010.