Summary Beguma Shahnawaz assures full support to bring reforms in legislation related to child marriage.
LAHORE (Web Desk) – Punjab Minister for Population Welfare Beguma Zakia Shahnawaz assured full support for bringing reforms in legislation related to child marriage.
Addressing a seminar here on Tuesday, Beguma Zakia Shahnawaz said child marriage is one of the most wide-spread human right’s violations worldwide and girls are being affected more as compared to boys.
More than 60 million girls around the world were married under the age of 18 in 2013.
Pakistan shares a major portion in the early marriage as 42 percent of girls married under the age of 18 years across the globe were from Pakistan. The practice of child girl’s marriage is more common in the rural areas as compared to the urban areas.
Begum Zakia Shahnawaz discussed that Chief Minister Punjab is very much focussed for the betterment and development of youth and women of Punjab. She also shared the efforts of Punjab government for making legislative reforms in the provincial assembly.
She briefed about some of the features of new bill being tabled in the assembly and shared that minimum age of girl is also proposed as18 in the new bill and to ensure and validate the right age the possessions of CNIC is being recommended as mandatory at the time of marriage for both parties.
Other speakers including MNA Jamshed Ahmad Dasti, Punjab Minister Atta Muhammad Manika, MPA Farah Manzoor Rind, MPA Farzana Mir andMPA Nasar Ullah Zarai also expressed their concerns over the issue and urged the federal provincial governments to amend child marriage laws.
