Another peril

I want to draw the attention of the authorities towards the problem of forced marriage, which is prevalent in our country. Forced marriages put children at a high risk of violation and abuse and deprive them of fundamental right to childhood, education, health and opportunity. A report from the UK’s forced marriage unit claims that at least 439 cases of forced marriage of children occurred in 2017 in Pakistan.

Such marriages are especially common in rural areas. The government needs to pay attention to this problem and should ensure that this practice stops.

Sumaira Aslam

Awaran