Background:

In Pakistan, the act of marrying off young children and especially young girls is becoming a major trend.
The effects of this condition are quite long-lasting because they cause a variety of other issues in their
way of life. One of its initial negative effects is a barrier to their education. Early unions are formed for a
variety of sociocultural and economic reasons. Girls who marry in their early teens are categorically
denied their right to an education.

Introduction:

“Let us become the first generation to decide to be the last that sees empty classrooms, lost
childhoods and wasted potentials. Let this be the last time that a girl is forced into early child marriage.
Let this end with us. Let’s begin this ending, together, today, right here, right now.” (Malala usofzai
Nobel Peace Prize Lecture 2014)

Marriage is typically understood to be the union of two individuals who are formally and legally
acknowledged as partners in a familial and intimate relationship. Early marriage is defined as getting
married before the age of 18. When a couple marries before they are legally allowed to, which is 16 for
girls and 18 for boys, it is referred to as an early marriage. Especially, women make for a weak and
downtrodden part of society in Pakistan. Girls are often married off at a young age and are not free to
spend their adolescent years for productive study. Pakistan is one of the nations where young
adolescent girls (under 16) are wed off.

This trend of early marriage is going up day by day in Pakistan. Parents marry off their children, more
specifically young girls, due to several reasons. This act has resulted in several unpleasant consequences
also.

Aims:

The main aim of this project is to determine the factors that are responsible for the growing trends of
early marriage in Pakistan and it’s consequences.

Objective:

The main objectives of this study are:

 To gain knowledge about the trending crisis of child marriages in Pakistan.

 To determine different factors responsible for this act.
 To know the consequences of this growing trend.
 To introduce suggestions for controlling this crisis.

Significance:

This study will help to analyze the factors, causes and effects of early marriage crisis in Pakistan.
Moreover, the analysis will help to devise suggestions for the contol of this social issue.

Research Questions:

Anayalysis
Due to the fact that the aforementioned problem affects all global communities, numerous research on
the subject have been done in various ways. Early marriage, according to Lodhi and Haroon (2011),
forces females out of school (or universities) and forces them into a never-ending cycle of housework
and childrearing. Early marriage is a significant contributor to girls’ low levels of education, according to
the International Center for Research on Women. Another study carried out in 29 nations found that
girls who married at 18 or older had higher levels of education than those who married at younger ages
(i.e. below 18). On the other side, the aforementioned data demonstrates that longer educational
continuity is likely to cause the girls to marry at a later age. In Pakistan, girls who are under the age of 18
when they are married make up half of all marriages. The age of the bride who is truly minor is
sometimes displayed higher in the marriage forms. According to UNICEF data from small-sample studies,
70% of girls are married off before becoming 16 years old. Many people get married off even before
they turn 13 years old. Early parenthood and marriage are inextricably linked. According to a survey
conducted by the Pakistani Population Council in 2002, 35% of women in the nation give birth to their
first child before turning 18 years old.

Factors responsible for Child Marriage:

The proportion of girls getting married before turning 18 is sixth highest in the world in Pakistan.
Numerous factors contribute to the prevalence of child marriage, including deeply ingrained traditions
and rituals, poverty, a lack of knowledge or access to education, and a lack of security. There are several
common elements that contribute to the marriage of children before they are mature enough to
support the social unit, even though every marriage happens because of some personal and social
reasons between two families. These factors are briefly listed here:

Elders’ judgments:

The prevalence of early marriages in the nation is largely a result of forced unions. The tribe’s cultural
practices—good or bad—are exalted in the eyes of the following generation’s children. Son and
daughter matchmaking is solely the responsibility of family elders. Quite frequently, these choices are
made without giving much thought to the couple’s age or period of time together. There is almost no
time to contest the choice or voice a different opinion when the family’s elders decide to marry a
daughter or a sister. No matter what the outcome, the marriage must go through.

Poverty:

Girls and family members most frequently claim poverty as the primary factor in their desire to marry
young. Those with severe financial difficulties arrange daughters’ marriages. Additionally, poor families
have an incentive to marry off their daughters when they are younger and don’t need as much money
for dowries. Traditionally, the bride’s family must receive a “dowry” from the girl’s family in the form of
money, jewellery, or other items for the wedding. Since young brides are regarded as lovely and pure,
they need less money as dowries than older girls, who will cost more. Parents in tough situations may
wed off their daughters as a source of cash in nations where the bride’s family is paid a price.

The pressures of society and tradition:

Since traditional behaviours have been a part of the community for a very long time, they frequently go
unquestioned. Marriages for love are generally looked down upon since they are considered as a
business deal between families that is organised by the older guys. A community’s social pressures may
force families to marry off their young daughters. Families talk about the pressure from society to have
their daughters married so they can’t date before being married.

Other social Norms and customs in Pakistan:

Marriages between the children of close relatives and distant relatives are known as Watta Satta, or the
exchange of girls in marriage between two families. These marriages are typically consanguineous
marriages in which the bride has a choice in the man she marries. Within Shareeka, it is termed as
marriage informally (socio-familial ties). In addition to fostering family bonds, economic factors also
contribute to child marriages. Parents benefit when the financial burden is transferred from the natal to
the marital family, especially those in lower wealth quintiles. In these circumstances, the possibility of
child marriage addresses the inability to arrange for dower and/or finance wedding costs. On the other
side, high wealth quintiles experience economic growth that strengthens and multiplies their family’s
resources (land, for example) and political influence.

A high rate of illiteracy, particularly in rural regions, is another factor that leads to incorrect religious
interpretation by those who believe they are adhering to Islamic law.

A desire to strengthen family bonds.

Lack of opportunities for earning a living; parents consider the girl kid as a burden and want to get rid of
her.

Consequences of the rising trend of Child Marriage in Pakistan:

Child marriages have a number of negative social, domestic, mental, and physical effects. The following
things could occur if a child is born into a marriage:

Such unions have poverty as a cause as well as a side effect.

Domestic violence is also a common occurrence in these marriages because the child girl isn’t old
enough to handle day-to-day domestic conflicts that eventually turn violent.

Behavioral and psychological issues.

Isolation and abandonment of the young girl and any children she may have.

Such unions have an impact on the girl’s development, whether those effects be physical, mental,
psychological, or emotional.

Such marriages gradually have negative physical effects, and the development of the daughter born in
such marriages is hampered.

Higher likelihood of divorce in later stages, challenges with mental compatibility develop due to the
child’s immaturity, being given in marriage, and these typically result in divorce.

Child marriages have the greatest rates of maternal mortality.

One of the effects of these marriages is infant mortality.

Health issues are common for both the mother of the child and the infant; as a result, both of their
future health issues and the child’s growth are hampered.
RIGHTS INTERFERED WITH BY CHILD MARRIAGES:

The rights of children denied because of early marriage are:

The obligation to educate (Article 28)

The right to be shielded from any kind of physical or mental abuse, including sexual assault, as well as
any kind of injury or harm (Article 19)

The right to experience the best possible level of health (Article 24)

The right to education and career assistance and information (Article 28)

The freedom to access, use, and share information and ideas (Article 13)

The freedom to engage in cultural life and to enjoy leisure time (Article 31)

The freedom from being forcibly removed from their parents (Article 9)

The right to defence against any types of exploitation that would jeopardise a child’s welfare in any way
(Article 36).

RECOMMENDATIONS:

The following recommendations are offered after examining the problem and the factors that lead to
the practise of child marriage:

To stop child weddings, current legislation needs to be reinforced.

The creation of various awareness-raising programmes at the community level.

Opening a discussion between civil society and religious authorities with the help of NGOs, the public
sector, parents, psychiatric professionals, medical personnel, and kids.

To close the gap between legislation and its effective execution.

Preventing traditions and practises that permit child marriages.

Penalties must be strengthened and made extremely severe, notably those under the Child Marriages
Restraint Act of 1929.

The government must set up community-level agencies to prevent child marriages, which will be
responsible for keeping an eye on the neighbourhood and informing the locals about this issue.

The religious texts must be understood gradually in order for ignorant people, who frequently
mindlessly adhere to the teachings of clerics and mosque imams, to recognise the significance of the
issue and gradually alter their views.

Task forces, debates, and other methods must be used to establish and enhance community networks.

Public interest litigation, which can be a potent instrument to stop such weddings, must be encouraged.

There must be a few highly active “centres” that can assist the people who are hurt by such marriages.

Inform families of the advantages of marriage beyond adolescence.

Programs to spread the word about the detrimental effects such marriages have on one’s health must
be implemented, along with rigorous restrictions.

Conclusion:

The practise of child marriages is deeply ingrained in the minds of those who support it, so no law or
prohibition can be effective until a significant awareness campaign is launched and ongoing education is
provided. Only then will these individuals recognise the seriousness of the situation and appreciate the
significance of the mental and psychological well-being of children given in such marriages.It is advised
that specific child marriage laws be made generally known, emphasising their disastrous effects, and
that social principles of respect, dignity, and equality for all be hammered home to every high and low
regardless of caste, race, creed, and political position. Through instructional campaigns at the high
school/college level, on television, and on other media platforms, child marriages should be avoided.
Wherever this objectionable customary practise is found, the government officials need to take
particular note of it.In order to change the public’s perception of such ceremonies, educational and
awareness campaigns must be launched. The general public must also be made aware that, if they see
any such marriage ceremonies occurring nearby, they must either intervene or immediately notify the
appropriate authorities so that those responsible can be held accountable.