Child brides limits community growth and calls for major concern

Despite the several and renewed international commitments to end child marriage, it is extimated that one in three girls in developing countries (excluding China) will be married before they turn 18 by 2030 according to the United Nations report on the issue. In 2010, this report shows that a total of 67 million women around the world had gotten married while they were still under 18: that is half in Asia and one-fifth in Africa.

At the seminar which was organized to celebrate the ‘International girl child day’ yesterday,  speakers emphasized on the Sindh government to adopt a law that will enable end child marriage. They suggested that the age should be  enhanced to 18 years from existing age of 16 enshrined in the ‘Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929’. 

End to early child marriage

The considered important event was put together by the Adolescent Girls Empowerment (AGE) project in collaboration with the HANDS, Rutgers WPF and Sindh Women Development Department at a local hotel on Thursday. 

In December 19, 2011, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution that led to the International Day of the Girl Child, declaring October 11 every year for  girl child to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world. 

A 16 year old boy waits to be married to a much younger girl during a mass child marriage ceremony in Indore, India, on May 15 2002. (AFP/Getty Images)

Sindh Women Development Minister Tauqeer Fatima Bhutto addressed the event as chief guest. During her discussion, she said that early age marriage was a burning issue of the country and the young girls who forced into such marriages sustain only few social connections they stay at a very restricted mobility. The participants also offered pray and observed silence of one minute for the early recovery of Malala Yousafzai.She said that the girls who forced into child marriages face domestic violence, inequality, undue domestic responsibility and put their right to education and skillful learning in danger.

Tauqeer Fatima Bhutto further said that the role of women in development of the society must be recognised and platform should be established for encouraging young girls to come forward for equality and role of women in development of country. She advised the law department to finalise the law to ‘child marriage’ practice from the province.She underlined the need to attach the computerised national identity cards with the ‘Nikahnama’ during the marriage to know the actual age of bride and groom.

She gave a suggestion that the government and civil society organizations should initiate an awareness campaign in girls and boys colleges and universities about the early child marriage.