Young brides

It was heartrending to find out that the outdated practice of child marriage is still rampant Pakistan. The government has failed to address the problem which is adversely affecting the health and education of young girls. Recently a bill was passed in which the legal age of marriage for women was raised to 16. However, the bill hasn’t been fully implemented. Many young girls are still bearing the brunt of these practices.

Several villages and cities of Balochistan are facing the same issue. Girls are forced to get married at a young age. A majority of these young brides haven’t even finished school. However, the family of these young girls cannot be blamed. These people live below the poverty line and they think it is best for their daughters to get married at a young age. They think that their young girls will have a financial support of their husbands. Whatever the reason is, the practice is wrong and should be discouraged. The government must strictly implement the law and make sure that young girls in our country are not deprived of education and a healthy life.

Islam Murad (Hoshab)