PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly unanimously passed a resolution urging the provincial government to raise the minimum marriage age to 18 years and make legislation to end domestic violence. Several civil society organisations (CSOs) have applauded the decision.
On Wednesday, in Peshawar, Civil Society Networks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Partners for Prevention and Response (P4PR), the provincial alliance to end early child and forced marriages, KP civil society joint working group and Pakhtunkhwa Civil Society Network (PCSN) in a joint statement urged the lawmakers to play their role for an end to violence from the society.
Maliha Asghar, chairperson of the women parliamentary caucus, moved a resolution which, was also signed by women parliamentarians of various political parties, including Nighat Yasmin Orakzai, Ayesha Bano, Sumaira Shams, Ayesha Naeem and Shagufta Malik.
Child rights activists hold that child marriages risk lives of children, especially that of girls.
Qamar Naseem, provincial coordinator of the Alliance to End Early, Child and Forced Marriages, appreciated the women legislators for introducing this resolution. He said that Pakistan, in step with the target 5.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals, had committed to eliminating child, early and forced marriages by 2030. He said that ending child marriages was critical for girls’ rights, health, well-being and ability to survive into adulthood.
“Ending child marriage lessens the burden on health infrastructure, reduces human suffering and enables girls and women to effectively contribute to the global human development,” he added.
Taimur Kamal, coordinator of Pakhtunkhwa Civil Society Network, said that child marriage constituted a grave threat to the lives, health and future prospects of young girls. Sana Gulzar, chairperson of Chapairchal, an organisation working for girls’ rights, said that child marriages potentially exposed the girls to violence.
