NCSW campaign for law on minimum marriage age

Islamabad:In view of the increasing trend of child marriage and its serious consequences, NCSW along women's right organisations has launched a comprehensive campaign across the country. Addressing a press conference, National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) Chairperson Ume Laila Azhar applauded the ICT Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2025, she said that after Sindh, it is welcomed that the minimum age for marriage of girls in Islamabad is 18 years.

We demand that the minimum age for marriage be set at 18 years across the country. "We have to think about the future of our girls and boys and take steps for their education, health and a bright future. We have to stop the exploitation of our children, especially girls. It is not just a matter of marriage, it is a matter of raising future generations. We will launch a nationwide campaign for this bill so that there is a standard uniformity in law across Pakistan," she said.

Fehmida Iqbal, a renowned gender expert, presented statistics and said that 18 percent of girls in Pakistan are married before the age of 18, while 54 percent of young girls become pregnant before the age of 18, which proves to be a significant reason for the threat to their lives and the lives of the newborn.

Women's affairs expert Saman Ahsan said that in many Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia, the minimum age for marriage is 18 years, so why are obstacles being placed in Pakistan to prevent this from happening? "If those under the age of eighteen are not given the right to drive, vote, etc., then how can they be entrusted with the heavy responsibility of passing on the family and the generation to the next generation? We need to create a social awareness movement, not a change in the law, through this campaign.