This Experts’ Panel Discussion highlights key issues pertaining to Child Early and Forced Marriages(‘CEFM’), as an introduction to and in light of the research paper titled: “State as the Absent Parent: Child Marriage in Sindh, Pakistan”, which has been prepared by the Legal Aid Society, with
support from UNFPA. (The research paper is available in English and in Urdu at: www.las.org.pk/communication/research-papers-and-publications/ )
In South Asia, 28 to 29 percent of women give birth by age 18. Pregnancy is the leading cause of death for young women ages 15 through 19; girls under age 15 are five times more likely to die than those
above 20 years. CEFM also gives rise to a plethora of social, economic, legal and mental and physical health problems, whilst also further distancing such families from access to justice (such as for domestic
violence, maintenance, custody or divorce), to basic constitutional rights such as adequate life, education, mobility and so forth. CEFM also has several inter-sectional dimensions, such as class, religion, citizenship status, many of which are specific to Sindh, and which need to be acknowledged and addressed.
Join us this Sunday, 31 st October 2021 at 5:00 pm
Introductory Remarks:
Bayramgul Garabayeva, Head of Office, Karachi, Pakistan - United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), is an accomplished development practitioner with over 20 years of experience in policy analysis, project design, implementation, capacity development, governance, and policy advocacy.
Panelists:
Dr. Habiba Hasan, Member of the National Commission on the Status of Women, is senior pediatrician at JPMC, Karachi and a pioneering educationist and a human rights activist. She was the first Pakistani to
head Amnesty International representing it at various global forums including the United Nations.
Mr. Iqbal Detho, Member of the National Commission on the Rights of Child, is a well-known trainer on child rights and policy lobbyist. He attended the London School of Economics as Chevening Scholar, UK and was also a Hubert H Humphrey Fellow at University of Minnesota, US.
Mrs. Shamim Mumtaz, Chairperson of the Child Protection Authority, Government of Sindh. She is a seasoned politician who belongs to the Pakistan People’s Party and has handled a host of portfolios throughout her career.
Ms. Sheena Hadi, Executive Director, Aahung, works on issues pertaining to sexual health and reproductive rights. She has received the Joan B. Dunlop award from the International Women’s Health Coalition (IWHC) for its ground-breaking work on reproductive health and rights and under her leadership, Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs awarded its prestigious Human Rights Tulip Award to Aahung .
Moderator:
Palvasha Shahab, Gender, Child Rights and Litigation Specialist at Legal Aid Society. She is a Karachi- based lawyer, activist, and researcher working on a range of social justice issues.
Background:
The first law criminalizing CEFM was passed as the Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929. This law prevailed in Sindh too, till the Government of Sindh passed the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2013, which, among others, made the made the practice of child marriage a cognizable offence (i.e. an FIR could directly be lodged by any informant) and it equalized the minimum age of marriage, at 18 years, for both men and women (previously, it was 16 years for girls and 18 years for men). Nevertheless, child marriages continue, are severely under reported and, alarmingly, seem to be on the rise in Sindh. There are a host of complications that arise in any discussion pertaining to the prevention, restraint and penalization of the practice of CEFM.
In the recent past, several cases of child marriage, often interconnected with concerns of forced conversions, have emerged in the national media. This is of course alarming and calls for immediate action. Nevertheless, this is also encouraging to the extent that a public discourse , which was previously absent, seems to be emerging. However, it is important to remember that the debate on the prevention and restraint of child marriage is a fiercely contested one. Any solutions need to be cognizant of the ground realities and attitudes at the grass roots level.
31 окт 2021
