A summary to increase the minimum age has been sent to Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar.
Lahore (Pakistan Point News – 25th July, 2019) The Punjab government is considering to increase minimum age for marriage to 18 years to curb the practice of child marriage.
Currently, the minimum age for marriage in Punjab is 16 years.
A summary to increase the minimum age has been sent to Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar.
The step has been taken keeping in view the increasing incidents of child marriages and domestic violence.
The bill to amend the Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929 was approved by the National Assembly in June, 2019.
The bill increased the minimum age of marriage to 18 years, opening a new era for the development of women in the country and resolving the complications and problems relating to early age marriage.
The bill which was moved by PPP Senator Sherry Rehman was passed after considerable debates.
The members of the major parties were divided on the bill as most of the women supported its introduction while many male members were reluctant to lend their support.
According to a survey report, around 140 million underage girls were supposed to get married in Pakistan by 2020 since 2011, despite many bills passed the legislators on the Child Marriage Restraint (Amendment).
The report revealed that child marriages were mostly practiced in the rural areas of the country and mainly rooted in some areas of Sindh province.
The overall percentage of child marriage remained high in Sindh stood with 72 percent girls and 25 percent boys becoming victims to this menace.
However, the highest number of girl child marriages was recorded in the tribal areas of the country.
The data showed that three percent of girls were married before the age of 15 years and 21 percent before 18 years.
Social activists have urged the quarters concerned to ensure proper implementation of early child marriage laws to root out this menace for mental, emotional and physical development of girls.
