The Legal Aid Society, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) convened a consultation with legal experts, human rights activists, government representatives, law enforcement, civil society, and community stakeholders, to address child marriage in Pakistan.
The event opened with the screening of Salma, a UNFPA short film exposing the devastating health consequences of child marriage. Delivering the opening remarks, Chairperson of the NCSW, Ume Laila Azhar, stated, “despite Sindh’s pioneering law, implementation gaps persist. The NCSW remains committed to securing a nationwide ban on under-18 marriages, through sustained advocacy, government coordination, and judicial engagement.” Further, Technical Specialist on Gender-Based Violence (UNFPA), Saliha Ramay, added, “child marriage endangers girls’ lives by exposing them to severe health risks, maternal complications.”
Meanwhile, Deputy Director Local Government, Rahila Rahim, noted, “reforms in nikkah registration are critical. Digitisation, mandatory CNIC entry, and training for registrars and union councils will help prevent underage marriages at the point of registration.”
The consultation concluded with participants calling for strengthened implementation of the Child Marriage Restraint Act (CMRA), the scaling-up of community awareness, engagement of religious leaders, and ensuring of coordinated government-civil society efforts.
