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Child Marriages in Sindh
Child Marriage, is an ongoing custom that occurs in many cultures that results in premature matrimony. The marriages are arranged by the families in order to secure property/finances, family name/status or to settle disputes. Each culture differs in its exact rulings for the marriage. Commonly, in child marriages the bride is under the marriageable age( 10-14) and a virgin. Worldwide each day more than 25,000 young girls become child brides, joining almost 60 million women who have married before their 18th birthday. Sindh, one of the four provinces in Pakistan, that still practice Addh- Baddho or child marriage in the modern era.

The [|Child Marriage Restraint Act] does not stop the ongoing tradition as an estimated thirty percent of all marriages in Sindh, Pakistan are considered to be child marriage. According to the act the legal age for a girl to get married is 16 and 18 for boys. The punishment for violation of the act results in a fine of just 1000 rupees or some jail time. The punishment for the crime is so little that no one pays attention the consequences.

The outcome of child brides results in heightened risk of sexual and physical abuse, reproductive health complications, HIV/Aids infection and other adverse physiological and social outcomes. The Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (Sparc) and Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), have been fighting to decrease the number of such tragic cases and have succeeded to an extent. Zakia Shahnawaz, adviser to the chief minister on women’s empowerment, promised to amend the act where the legal age is increased to 18 and 20 and the punishment becomes more severe.