LAHORE: Chairperson of the Punjab Assembly’s Standing Committee on Gender Mainstreaming (Women Development) Uzma Kardar on Sunday inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with BARGAD, a youth development NGO, to collaborate in capacity building, orientation, awareness campaigns and other actions for amplifying women voices with a focus on their social and economic empowerment.

This partnership will strengthen implementation of the Punjab Youth Policy 2012, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ending child marriages in the province. The signing ceremony was joined by a number of parliamentarians.

On the occasion, the issue of ending child marriage in Punjab was discussed in detail and subsequently all the parliamentarians announced to support a relevant new bill which is pending in the Punjab Assembly and waiting for the approval. Uzma had presented the bill in the assembly after getting it signed by around 250 parliamentarians.

She said the bill is a non-cognizable offence which prohibits solemnization of the child marriages in Punjab and proposes a three years punishment for whoever performs, conducts, directs, brings about or in any way facilitated any child marriage. She said the problem of solemnization of child marriages continues in the province of Punjab, adding that underage marriages create health problems and also increase the morality rate. “Child marriage deprives a person of his/her rights to health, education, economic opportunities and sometimes even life,” the MPA added.

BARGAD Executive Director Sabiha Shaheen said that such collaboration from the provincial assembly is forthcoming and will help synchronize the efforts of the civil society and the government for women development in Punjab.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021