Participants at a seminar urged the government to expedite the legislation process regarding the prevention of underage girls’ marriages in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Most of the participants pointed out that the legal complexities might impede the law on child marriage in the province, and called for the removal of all lacunas in the way of this important legislation. They also informed that the mortality rate of young mothers and their newborn children is quite high due to this growing tendency of marriages at an early age.
They expressed these views while speaking at a consultation seminar with the government’s stakeholders and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on early marriage bills. They were commemorating Global Day of Action, organised by Rahnuma-Family Planning Association of Pakistan (FPAP) KP chapter, at a local hotel on Wednesday.
Rahnuma-FPAP Director Advocacy Naibla Malick presided over the consultation session. Besides, the organisation regional director Gohar Zaman, provincial legislators, members of CSOs, government officials and representatives of the relevant stakeholders, officials of Rahnuma-FPAP along with representatives of partner organizations attended the consultative meeting.
The speakers stressed the need for better co-ordination and collective efforts of the government departments and relevant stakeholders with involvement of civil society, religious scholars, and other key players to meet the goals of the provision of better maternal health issues under the international commitments of Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
Gohar Zaman briefed the participants about the global action plan and country commitments towards the achievement of universal access to better reproductive health (RH) and family planning (FP) targets under MDGs-5B.
The provincial legislators on the occasion resolved that they would strongly support the legislation on prohibition of early age girl’s marriages and hoped it will pass unanimously from the provincial assembly.
An official of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Child Protection and Welfare Commission (KPCPWC) informed the participants that the provincial government is progressing towards the legislation regarding prevention of young girls’ marriages and all the relevant stakeholders have been taken on board in this regard.
