Fighting for Future: Pakistan's Child Marriage Law Faces Backlash
The law's passage has highlighted the complex and often contentious relationship between religion and legislation in Pakistan, and the need for a nuanced and evidence-based approach to addressing the issue of child marriage. As the country navigates this complex issue, it is clear that the fight for the future of Pakistan's girls is far from over.
Pakistan's recent passage of the Islamabad Capital Territory Child Marriage Restraint Act has sparked a heated debate, with religious leaders claiming it contradicts Islamic principles, while proponents argue it's a crucial step towards protecting girls' rights to education and dignity.
The law, which sets 18 as the minimum legal age for girls to wed, aims to curb the widespread practice of child marriage in Pakistan, where one in five girls is forced into marriage before 18. This has led to high rates of domestic abuse, early mortality, and illiteracy. Maulana Fazlur Rehman, chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), has announced nationwide protests against the law, calling it an attack on Pakistan's religious identity and a violation of the Quran and Sunnah.
The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has also opposed the law, arguing that it criminalizes underage marriages as statutory rape. However, proponents of the law argue that it's a necessary step towards reconciling faith with evidence-based policy and protecting girls' rights. The issue of child marriage has been a contentious topic in Pakistan, driven by poverty and limited access to education, and the new law has sparked a heated debate about the role of religion in shaping the country's laws and policies.
As the debate continues, it remains to be seen how the government will balance the need to protect girls' rights with the concerns of religious leaders. The JUI-F has scheduled a large conference in Hazara Division in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on June 29 to create awareness about the issue, and the outcome of this conference may shape the future of the child marriage law in Pakistan.