Early marriages

Birth, marriage and death are the standard trio of key events in most people’s lives. But only one, marriage is a matter of choice. Throughout the world, marriage is regarded as a moment of celebration and a milestone in adult life. All too often, the imposition of a marriage partner upon a child means that a girl or boy’s childhood is cut short and their fundamental rights are compromised. It is widely practiced in the countries of South Asia.

In Pakistan, traditionally most marriages are arranged by families and the ability for a boy or a girl to openly like and choose their partner seldom occurs. In the process of such marriages being arranged by family members, safeguards in the law are often overlooked and minimum age of marriage and need for mutual consent are not guaranteed, making the marriage a forced one. Many reasons are given by parents and guardians to justify child marriage.

Economic reasons often underpin these decisions which are directly linked to poverty and the lack of economic opportunities for girls in rural areas. Girls are either seen as an economic burden or valued as capital for their exchange value in terms of goods, money or livestock.

A combination of cultural, traditional and religious arguments also justifies child marriage. Many parents tend to curtail the education of their girls and marry them off, due to fear of exposure to sexual violence and abuse encountered.

Early marriage also has implications for the well-being of families, and for society as a whole, where girls are uneducated and ill-prepared for their roles as mothers and contributors to society.

The concept of early marriage is in our religion, but if a person classified as a child is married, when they reached the age of puberty and maturity, then they have a right to choose whether to go on with that marriage or not. So it becomes a marriage on paper.

Woman has the right to accept or reject marriage proposals. Her consent is a prerequisite to the validity of the marital contract, according to the Prophet’s teaching.

The imposition of a marriage partner on children who are in no way ready for married life and whose marriage will deprive them of freedom, opportunity for personal development, and other rights is not a good decision for their lives from the side of their families. Measures should be taken in this regard otherwise it will continue to be a major stumbling block to the achievement of human rights.

SADIA ZAHEER

Lahore