PESHAWAR: Religious leaders from across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa here on Monday expressed their resolve to promote the rights of girls, women and all vulnerable segments of society.

They were speaking at a dialogue on ending child marriages jointly organised by the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), Women Parliamentary Caucus (WPC) and Child Welfare and Protection Commission, according to a statement issued here.

Speaking on the occasion, CII Chairman Dr Qibla Ayaz said religious leaders from across Pakistan were invited to join them in the campaign to end harmful social practices like child marriage through awareness and behavioural change.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Khateeb Maulana Tayyab Qureshi said faith-inspired initiatives were instrumental in promoting behavioural and attitudinal change to discourage forced marriages.

Qamar Naseem, programme coordinator of Blue Veins and lead of the Provincial Alliance to End Early Child and Forced Marriages, said every citizen had a responsibility to discourage child marriages, to ensure that children completed their education and reached their full potential.

Madiha Nisar, vice-chairperson of WPC, said keeping girls in school was one of the best ways to prevent child marriages. “Child marriage limits girls’ access to quality education,” she added.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2021