ISLAMABAD: United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has launched a video campaign featuring Unicef’s National Ambassador Saba Qamar, to raise awareness about the urgent need to end child marriage in Pakistan.
The video calls on communities to speak up against this harmful practice and reinforces UNICEF’s commitment to protect the rights of children and empower girls across Pakistan.
In the video, the UNICEF’s National Ambassador for Child Rights, Saba Qamar, highlights the impact of child marriage on young girls’ futures and calls for unified action to protect children.
Pakistan has the sixth highest number of child brides globally, with an estimated 19 million girls married before age 18. Nearly half become pregnant before their 18th birthday, posing serious health risks for both mother and child. Only 13 per cent of married girls finish secondary school compared to 44 per cent of unmarried peers, limiting their future opportunities and independence.
Why should any child in Pakistan be forced into a marriage and a future they did not choose? With all the risks to their health and education, we cannot allow this to go unchallenged.
Last year in Sujawal, Sindh, Saba Qamar said, I witnessed firsthand the impact of child marriage and the difference UNICEF’s work is making.
“I met inspiring young champions like AnamNazir, 14, who stopped three marriages in her community,” said Qamar.
“I am proud to lend my voice to this campaign, for all the girls, and sometimes boys too, who suffer behind closed doors because of child marriage.”
“We cannot allow the circumstances a child is born into dictate their entire futures. Child marriage is often fueled by poverty, but it is also deeply rooted in entrenched gender norms and societal expectations,” said Abdullah Fadil, UNICEF Representative in Pakistan. “We need legal reforms and enforcement, cultural change, and greater investment in adolescent girls – in their rights, their well-being and their potential. How can Pakistan succeed when half the team is left on the sidelines?”
UNICEF welcomes the recent decision by the Islamabad Capital Territory to raise the minimum age of marriage to 18, joining Sindh province, and encourages all remaining provinces and territories to seize the momentum and follow suit.
The campaign video is part of UNICEF’s broader advocacy work in collaboration with UNFPA, UN Women, and government partners. Efforts included raising the legal age of marriage to 18 across all provinces, engaging communities through dialogue with parents, caregivers, and religious leaders and communication campaigns such as BOLO (Speak up) and promoting girl-led activism and youth champions.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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