ISLAMABAD: The National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) has expressed deep concern over a recent Lahore High Court judgment that upheld the marriage of a 15-year-old girl on the basis of attaining puberty, despite existing laws that set a minimum age of marriage.
In a statement, the Commission termed child marriage a grave violation of girls’ rights and a form of gender-based violence that traps young women in cycles of poverty, illiteracy and ill health. It warned that girls married at or soon after puberty face life-threatening health risks, including high maternal mortality, obstetric complications, premature births and infant deaths. Early brides are also more vulnerable to malnutrition, domestic violence, sexual exploitation and severe psychological trauma.
NCSW reminded that Pakistan’s Constitution guarantees equality and protection from exploitation under Articles 25 and 35 and that the country is bound by international commitments under CEDAW, CRC and the Sustainable Development Goals to eliminate child marriage.
Reiterating its longstanding stance, the Commission urged that the minimum legal marriage age be standardized at 18 years for both girls and boys across all provinces and territories. It called on legislatures and provincial governments to urgently harmonize and enforce the law, the judiciary to interpret statutes in line with constitutional guarantees and international obligations, and all state institutions, civil society and religious leaders to join efforts to end child marriage in Pakistan.
“Child marriage is not only a violation of law; it is a violation of dignity, equality and justice,” the NCSW declared, pledging to continue working for a uniform minimum marriage age to safeguard the rights and future of Pakistan’s girls.
