Important news in terms of early marriages in Pakistan which still today see girls forced to marry adult men. Last Monday, the Senate passed a law that requires you to be 18 to get married.
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerousA small step forward! Now the proposal is under consideration by the National Assembly and will have to overcome the strong Islamist opposition
Important news on the level of early marriages in Pakistan that even today, they see little girls forced to marry adult men. Last Monday, the Senate passed a law that requires you to be 18 to get married.
The bill was presented three months ago, but only in recent days, has it been approved by the Senate. It is currently being examined by the National Assembly and provides precisely for an increase in the minimum age for marrying from 16 to 18 years.
The reform was proposed by the senator Sherry Rehman precisely to 'save girls from exploitation and reduce the sad practice of early marriage' in harmony with countries such as Egypt, Bangladesh and Turkey. The law now provides three years in prison and a fine of 10 thousand rupees (just over 600 euros) for offenders. In the Senate, there were only five votes against the law out of 104, but with the abstention of the ruling party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
The problem, however, is that the provision is being examined by the National Assembly for final approval and the strong Islamist opposition to reform, does not bode well.
According to the opposition, in fact, the norm would be in contrast with what is established in the Koran which provides for marriage during puberty, the norm would then undermine the role of Islamic religious leaders.
Fawad Chaudhry, Federal Minister of Science and Technology, expressed his disappointment on Twitter.
"What hopes can really be placed on a society whose fifty elected representatives and even ministers actually voted in favor of early marriages?"
What hopes can one really attribute to a society whose fifty elected representatives and even ministers actually voted for under age marriage? Should be enough to give sleepless nights to the World and intelligentia of our own… really a scary moment
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) 1 maggio 2019
Early marriages and child brides, the data
According to UNICEF, 21% of girls in Pakistan are child wives, forced to leave school, friends and loved ones, to become wives and mothers. 3% got married before the age of 15. Not surprisingly, Pakistan ranks sixth among the countries with the highest number of child brides (almost 2 million).
All this is happening as the country is committed by 2030 to eliminating child, early and forced marriage that takes away the dignity and rights of these girls.
Read also:
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- Child brides: 5 things to know about early marriages
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Dominella Trunfio
