ISLAMABAD: Civil society organisations have appreciated the National Assembly for taking a step toward eliminating child marriage by passing groundbreaking legislation banning child marriage in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).

They have claimed that the legislation has marked a significant advancement in protecting children’s rights and has been aligned with international human rights standards.

Executive Director Potohar Organisation for Development Advocacy (PODA) Sameena Nazir has stated that her organisation was consistently advocating for children’s rights across multiple platforms over the past three years, calling for the implementation of a uniform national law to end child marriages in Pakistan.

She commended the government for prioritising children’s rights and taking concrete steps to combat child marriage. She also extended appreciation to parliamentarian Sharmila Farooqi for her relentless advocacy in bringing the bill to the National Assembly — a space where representatives can respond to the will of the people for the betterment of society.

Under the project “Reduce Early Marriages to Enhance Gender Equality” — supported by the Norwegian Embassy in Islamabad — PODA led extensive advocacy efforts through its annual rural women’s conferences. Over the past three years, these conferences have passed resolutions demanding an end to child marriage under the age of 18. These resolutions garnered the support of more than 2,000 women leaders from all four provinces, as well as the regions of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

In addition to legislative advocacy, PODA mobilised public support by sending hundreds of letters — signed by concerned citizens — to then Senate chairman Sadiq Sanjrani in 2023. The organisation also broadcast multiple series of radio programmes to raise awareness about the harmful impacts of child marriage, launched multiple effective social media campaigns and observed series of key international days to amplify the issue.

Advocate Khawaja Zahid Nasim, chairperson of the Naheeda Mehboob Elahi Foundation — an organisation providing free legal aid to vulnerable segments of society, especially women — also welcomed the passage of the ICT Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2024. He called it a landmark victory for child rights in Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2025