SUKKUR: Over 500 women coming from different walks of life attended a gathering in the Sachal Academy Auditorium, Khairpur, on Monday and vowed to work for safeguarding children’s rights.

They belonged to 20 UCs of Khairpur district and travelled to the venue for, what was described as the “grand district-level advocacy event”, mainly focused on ending early and forced marriages in Sindh.

The event was organised by a coalition of local civil society organisations in partnership with the BSWA, Strengthening Participatory Organisation with the support of Save the Children.

It featured youth-led presentations, panel discussions on education, health and legal rights, as well as cultural performances and creative activities by children.

Village women sensitised on adverse effects of child and forced marriages

Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC) Chairman Iqbal Detho explained the laws against child abuse and early marriages to the audience who included youth leaders, officials of relevant departments, academics, health professionals and civil society organisations, besides village women and community leaders.

“Child marriage is a serious human rights violation and a form of child rights abuse,” Detho said, adding, “underage marriage is sheer injustice that robs a child, especially female, of childhood, education, health and future”. He underlined the state’s obligation under both national and international law to protect children from exploitation and called on all segments of society to play their role in ensuring that every child grows up free from fear and coercion.

“We must go beyond policy and ensure that implementation is rooted within our communities, in our schools, and in our homes.”

Detho noted that Sindh is the first province to have fixed the marriage age, i.e. 18 years, equal for male and female under the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2013.

The SHRC, Sindh Child Protection Authority and law department are revising the Act’s rules to align it with protective measures being taken by various departments.

Detho emphasised the importance of investing in education, awareness and youth empowerment as key to ending child marriages.

He praised the local and international collaboration in this regard and reaffirmed SHRC’s commitment to monitoring, advocating for and supporting all laws and initiatives that protect children’s rights.

Sukkur Commissioner Fayyaz Hussain Abbasi emphasised on the role of local government, community and all other stakeholders to address this social issue through joint efforts.

He expressed the hope that active participation and interaction between communities and key stakeholders -- including police, social welfare & woman development department and district administration -- will succeed in addressing the issue of early and forced marriages.

Published in Dawn, June 17th, 2025