Sindh, Balochistan: Nearly 60pc of respondents got married before age of 18

ISLAMABAD: A national event on “Ending Child, Early, and Forced Marriage (CEFM)” revealed astonishing survey results that around 60 percent of respondent children were married before the age of eighteen in Sindh and Balochistan.

Strengthening Participatory Organization (SPO), with support from the US Department of State and Save the Children, successfully hosted the National Civil Society Dialogue and Dissemination Event on Ending Child, Early, and Forced Marriage (CEFM) under the Grassroots Action to End Child, Early, and Forced Marriage Project. The event featured two panel discussions moderated by Farhat Ali Sheikh (Board Member, SPO) and Munazza Ali (Project Manager, Save the Children).

Sharing key programme insights, Jamil Asgher Bhatti, Manager Project and Grants for the CEFM programme at SPO, revealed that a recent analysis in Sindh and Balochistan found nearly 60 percent of respondents were married before the age of 18.

Key panelists included Dr Manizeh Bano (Executive Director, Sahil), Afreen Kanwal (Child Protection Specialist, CEFM), Nisar Ahmed (Executive Director, Peace by Youth), Commissioner Salahudin Norzai (Naseerabad), Kiran Balouch (Chairperson, Balochistan Commission on Status of Women), Qamar-u-din Channa (Child Protection Authority), Dr Ghazala Ghalib Khan (Expert on Law and Sharia), Khalid Khan (Deputy Commissioner, Jaffarabad), youth champions Aqsa Abdul Raheem and Arsalan Khan, NikhatShakeel Khan (Member, National Assembly of Pakistan & Convenor, Parliamentary Caucus on Child Rights), and Dr Shazia Sobia Aslam (State Coordinator, Sindh, Parliamentary Caucus on Child).

Guest speakers Saima Agha (MPA & Parliamentary Secretary for Sports and Youth Affairs, Sindh), Muhammad SaleemKhosa (Director General, Balochistan Charity Registration Authority) and Ali Ansar Sidhu, President (NGO for the Development of Special Persons), also shared their perspectives and reaffirmed their commitment to advancing child protection efforts.

Khurram Gondal, Country Director of Save the Children, called the initiative “a vital step in addressing one of Pakistan’s most pressing social challenges,” adding that “true change requires more than policies; it demands consistency, commitment, and the collective efforts of government, civil society, and local partners.”

He commended the strong engagement of local NGOs and district governments and reaffirmed Save the Children’s continued support for the cause.

Former Senator Javed Jabbar, former chairperson and co-founder of SPO, applauded the effort as “a critical step toward empowering girls and safeguarding their future,” highlighting Pakistan’s proud history of trailblazing women leaders such as Fatima Jinnah and Benazir Bhutto figures who “would never have achieved such milestones had they been married off at a young age.”

He further emphasized that “we must not wait for foreign funding to drive such efforts; the resolve to protect our children must come from within.”

Closing the event, Arifa Mazhar, Chief Executive of SPO, urged stakeholders to move beyond a project-based approach toward a sustained, community-driven movement.

“This is not just a project, it is a collective mission,” she said, thanking partners, youth leaders, and Save the Children for their collaboration, and affirming that “this is not the end, but the beginning of a new chapter in the fight against child marriage.”

The event concluded with a joint commitment from government institutions, parliamentarians, and civil society organizations to strengthen legal safeguards, expand awareness campaigns, and ensure that every child in Pakistan can grow up safe, educated, and free from the risk of early marriage.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025