Daily Times

KARACHI: Despite enactment of laws forbidding marriage below the age of 18 years, the practice of underage (early) marriages is on the rise in Sindh.

The Sindh Assembly had passed a bill prohibiting child marriage in 2014 after setting a minimum of 18 years age for marriage of a girl or boy. The law stipulates three years prison sentence and fine of Rs 45 thousands for violators of the law. But the law and sentences it has set for the violators has failed to work as deterrent as the practice is continuing unabated and rather on the rise.

A 12 -year old girl was married off recently with a 26-year old man in Korangi, Father of the girl told Daily times that he could not afford her expenses due to which he married her off to man with the age of more than double her age.

A non-governmental organization working on child marriage project known as Sujag Sansar has issued a report that early marriage ratio, which was 24 percent in Sindh, has exceeded to 32 percent this year.

Secondly as per the report of UNICEF, in KPK this ratio is 29 percent and in Baluchistan 22 percent and in Punjab 20 percent. The underage marriage was more prevalent among girls than the boys.

Mashooq Birhamani, a social worker working for ending child marriages told Daily Times that Pakistan was ranked 88 out of 144 countries where underage marriages were prevalent, which affects large segments of the girl population. He said that in Pakistan early marriage is attributed to poverty, lack of education, and tradition, due to which 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,” he added.

Khairunisa Mughal, a provincial legislator from ruling party PPP, said that Sindh government did its level best to eradicate the practice and constituting several monitoring committees to do away with child marriages. She said after legislation its duty of concerned department to implement the law.

She added that there was a need that media should create awareness about the practice of early age marriages and the law prohibiting it. Public representatives can play a crucial role in creating awareness regarding the issue.

Nusrat Sehar Abbasi, a provincial legislator from PML-F, said that it was the state’s duty to ensure dignity and rights of the girls and impalement the laws relating to them. She said that PPP did not do as much for women as they talked about their rights. She said the PPP-led government has failed to deliver, saying that the actual issue is its implementation not legislation.

Dr Areeba Rehman, a gynecologist, said that an early age marriage was a main reason of birth of undernourished and underweight children. “I have seen low immunity levels in children, especially when the mother’s age is less than 20,” said Dr Areeba added.

Social worker Zarmeena Zar said that now it was the responsibility of the government to constitute teams for creating awareness among people, especially in villages. The proposed team should visit every Masjid to intimate and inform Nikkah Khuwans about the ramification and punishment of solemnizing Nikah of any under-age girl or boy.

Published in Daily Times, August 30^th 2017.