Resolution passed to raise minimum age of girls’ marriage to 18 years

Islamabad: With a demand to raise minimum age of marriage for girls, the three-day 16th Annual Rural Women Leadership Conference ended on Tuesday.

The conference participants unanimously passed resolution to raise minimum age of marriage of girls to 18 years demanding to ensure the fundamental rights of the girls the country to harness the underutilised potential that women represent in the country.

The speakers said that it is imperative to break free from the gender norms to ensure these women and girls have essential services, economic resources and gainful employment and that they actively participate in their communities as voters, leaders, member of political parties as candidates.

Speaking on this occasion, Dr. Riina Kionka, Ambassador of the European Union in Pakistan said, “Eliminating child marriage requires a collective effort to ensure that girls have access to education, health information, services and life-skills education. She further said that child-marriage is fundamentally an issue of gender inequality. It is also a multifaceted problem, with varying legal dimensions and immensely rooted socio-cultural norms, she added.

Emphasising on the right to education Article 25-A enshrined through the Constitution of Pakistan, Executive Director who is president and founder of PODA, Sameena Nazir demanded to give women equal representation at all levels in all sectors Per Albert Ilsaas, Ambassador of Norway in Pakistan, the Ambassador of Norway in Pakistan, found the conference a platform where women were everywhere in majority to talk on the issues which were on the top of their priorities.

A wheelchair-user mother, Azra from Islamabad urged all to make no excuse to declare 18 years as minimum age of marriage of a girl because due to her disability she married off of daughter at an early age who was divorced very young. She urged all to protect young girls fundamental right to get education and access to opportunities to lead a dignified life.

Ayesha Raza Farooq, Chairperson National Commission on The Child Rights ensured their support to raise the minimum age of girls to 18 years by signing the resolution. During the last day of the conference two sessions were held.

Earlier speaking during the session on “Enhance Electoral Participation of Rural Women through Voter Registration and Democracy Education”, Ms. Nazir said negligence to record girls’ birth officially and add girls in Family Form-B results in denial of Computerized National Identity Cards (CNIC) for girls when they turn 18. Without CNIC a woman cannot register as voter in Pakistan that has led to “missing women voters” problem in Pakistan. Low turnout of women voters is also caused by rejected votes when women do not know how to vote correctly. In many cases, women are not able to vote due to lack of transportation facilities and due to fear of violence and harassment.

Women with disabilities and transwomen face additional gender specific obstacles to cast their votes with dignity, she added. Rural women leaders who spoke were: Kausar Khatoon, Social Activist Kalat Balochistan Shirin Gul, Ghanche Gilgit-Baltistan, Mariyam Iqbal, Social Activist Peshawar, KP, Fayyaz Kausar General Councilor, Mardan, Khyber Pakhtukhwah, Shazia Zaheer, Political Rights of Women with Disabilities, Rukhsana Arshad, Sangat Development Organization Sheikhupura, Ayesha Shafqat (PWD) Janant Welfare organization, Lahore, Iffat Batool, Sohni Dharti Organization, Qamber Shahdad Kot, Sindh and Sonia, Transwomen rights activist, Islamabad.

Session Chair the Senator Farhat Ullah Baber, PPP while addressing the ceremony shared that “Praised PODA’s for requires a lot of motivation and courage to gather rural women and important institutions all together and physically challenged women in huge number, I am really impressed to see passion displayed by all. This event has become a university for women's empowerment for last 16 years. Women are politically and economically disempowered in Pakistan till date. Women’s unwavering strength is challenged by the fact that their votes are not registered and this issue is led to 13 million missing women in the 2018 elections.

Women’s CNICs should be registered to enjoy their full rights to vote and combat child marriages and forced conversions.” The conference ended on an award ceremony. The rural women leaders who excelled in their districts in protecting rights of women and girls were awarded shields.

Jugni Theatre Group from Chakwal also presented an educational play on the importance of casting vote. The conference was supported by EU, Norwegian Embassy, Islamabad, UN Women, Olive Culture, Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, ECP NED, NDI and Nutritional International.