KARACHI: Sindh women development department on Wednesday reconstituted the provincial monitoring committee on child marriage under Section 24 of Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Rules, 2016.
During the meeting of the department, it was decided that secretary of the women development department would be the chairperson of the committee while additional secretaries of the women development, social welfare, law, finance, home, human rights, health and education departments would serve as ex-officio members.
Other members of the committee would include officials from the Sindh commission of human rights, the Sindh commission on the status of women, child protection authority and other members of the civil society.
The committee would be responsible for periodically reviewing the existing provisions of the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2013, and suggest amendments therein. Moreover, the committee would be designated to investigate specific incidents of child marriage as well as participate in planning to secure an environment free of child marriage. It will also be responsible for mobilising grants from domestic and international sources for the effective completion of its objectives. Finally, the committee would also oversee the functioning of the district monitoring committee.
It was decided that the committee would meet quarterly at a place chosen by the chairperson, who would also be allowed to call additional meetings if he/she feels the need to. Suggestions made by the committee would need a majority vote from those present in a particular meeting and the chairman’s ratification for it to be passed as binding.
