AN important victory for child protection was secured on Monday with the Punjab Assembly’s passage of the Child Marriage Restraint Bill, 2026. By setting 18 as the minimum legal marriageable age for both males and females, and by declaring underage marriage a non-bailable offence, the province has moved from intent to binding legal protection. This matters in a country where child marriage cuts short education, endangers health and leaves girls dependent on others before they can build independent lives. The law deserves support not simply because it raises the age threshold, but because children cannot be treated as adults for the sake of custom. Particularly significant is the amendment placing the best interests of the child at the centre of investigation, prosecution and protective orders. That a child party to such a marriage should not be treated as an offender is an important corrective. Also encouraging is the rejection of proposals for court-sanctioned exceptions. Once loopholes are introduced, exploitation often follows.

Still, legislation alone will not end the practice. The resistance voiced during debate, invoking “societal values”, shows the challenge ahead. Such arguments ignore that child marriage often reflects coercion, poverty and unequal power, not free choice. It is no defence to suggest “mental maturity” can be judged subjectively when the law must set a clear standard. Rights cannot hinge on discretion. Implementation must be decisive. Age verification must work. Union councils, nikah registrars and police must be held accountable. Courts must enforce the law, while social protection, schooling and community outreach address the pressures that drive families towards early marriage. Punjab’s move should revive the push for national harmonisation. With uneven legal standards across provinces, children remain unequally protected depending on geography. That is indefensible. Cross-party consensus helped pass this bill. Resolve is now needed to ensure the law is enforced — and extended — so that childhood is protected not only on paper, but in lived reality too.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2026