Child Marriages

Child, early and forced marriages

This entry was posted in Articles and tagged Child Marriages Child Protection Child Rights Human Rights Violence against Children Wajahat Ali Malik on by

Wajahat Ali Malik Child marriage and early marriage mostly refer to a marriage in which one or both spouses are under 18 years of age. However, early marriage is sometimes used to describe a marriage where one or both spouses are 18 or older, but are without free and full consent. For example, the marriage of a 19-year-old who is not physically or emotionally mature, or unable to make decisions, would be considered an early marriage. Whereas in forced marriages, one or both spouses are unable to give full, free and informed consent about marriage, regardless of their age. Forced […]

What’s wrong with Punjab [Child] Marriage Restraint Act 2015

This entry was posted in Articles and tagged Child Marriages Paksitan Punjab Punjab Marriage Restraint Act 2015 Syed Miqdad Mehdi on by

by Syed Miqdad Mehdi The fact that our policy-makers thought about this issue and passed this bill should be appreciated. However, I am surprised that the word ‘child does not appear in the title of the bill. It now reads as the Punjab Marriage Restraint Act 2015. Furthermore, this law is not in accordance with international commitments or the spirit of the UN Convention on the Rights of Children or the rights that are given by the Constitution of Pakistan. The definition that has been given in Section 2(a) of the act, regarding who exactly is a child, is flawed. According to it, […]

‘Marriage: No Child’s Play’ launched in Lahore

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Lahore, May 24, 2017: A five-year project aimed at preventing child marriages by  enabling young people to make informed decisions regarding marriage and health rights was launched at a local hotel on Friday. The event was organized by Bedari in collaboration with Oxfam. This project is being implemented in Sindh by Indus Resource Center (launching ceremony in Sindh was held earlier this month, and has been reported here on this website). The project ‘Marriage: No Child’s Play’ is a multi-country initiative designed to equip young people, especially young girls, with life skills education and providing them with socio-economic opportunities through policy […]

SPARC Launches Annual State of Pakistan’s Children Report 2016

This entry was posted in News and tagged Child Health Child Marriages Child Pornography Child Sexual Abuse Child Traficking children Corporal Punishment Education Islamabad Juvenile Justice Pakistan SPARC on by

Islamabad, 27th April 2017: Despite the growing incidences of violence and abuse against children, there still remains a severe absence of the necessary measures that can help protect children. This was stated at the launch of the annual ‘State of Pakistan’s Children’ report, by the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC). Speaking at the event, Sadia Hussain, Executive Director SPARC said: “Children’s rights have long been a neglected issue. While there has been progress in legislation related to child rights, Pakistan still lags behind international standards due to the poor implementation of existing child protection […]

Amendment to Pakistan Penal Code – Child Marriages, Forced Marriages with Women from Minority Communities

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Parliament of Pakistan has passed a new law that amends the Pakistan Penal Code. It now needs assent of the President of Pakistan to become law. The new law has also suggested punishment for cases of forced marriages of minor girls or women, belonging to minority groups. The existing section 498-B of the PPC reads: “Whoever coerces or in any manner whatsoever compels a woman to enter into marriage shall be punished with imprisonment of description for a term which may not be less than three years and shall also be liable to a fine of Rs500,000”. In the amendment, […]

NEW RESEARCH ON CHILD MARRIAGE IN 2016: WHAT DID WE LEARN?

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We are grateful to Girls Not Brides for allowing us to reproduce this report here on our website.  2016 was a big year for research on child marriage. New data and analysis emerged, building our understanding of child marriage, its drivers and impact, as well as what it will take to end it. Here, we look back on what we learned. 1. CHILD MARRIAGE REMAINS A GLOBAL ISSUE “Where does child marriage happen most?” It’s the first question we get asked working on this issue. In 2016, new data by UNICEF revealed that child marriage happens in places less frequently […]