The Senate Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training was left divided on Monday over a bill aiming to introduce reproductive health education into school curricula.

According to Unicef, 18.9 million girls in Pakistan are married before they attain the age of 18 years; 4.6m are wedded before they turn 16 — the legally prescribed age of marriage.

According to an official press release, the committee deliberated on the ‘Federal Supervision of Curricula, Textbooks and Maintenance of Standards of Education (Amendments) Bill, 2024’, moved by PPP Senator Quratulain Marri.

After debating “sensitive aspects” such as the age limits for reproductive health education, the bill was “deferred for further input”, the press release read.

“While Senators Kamran Murtaza and Gurdeep Singh rejected the bill outright, other members suggested amendments, including setting the age for reproductive health education at 13 or 16 years, respecting cultural sentiments and local context,” it added.

In exclusive comments to Dawn.com, Marri said, “It is very unfortunate that a bill aimed at giving our children basic education is being opposed. Today, we can’t control what kids see on social media. [It is] better we provide them with structured, approved information. But sadly, some senators can’t see that.”

She reiterated these comments in a post on X, too, where she said health education was “a necessary tool for our kids”.

“The intention is clear: to curb child abuse, misinformation on the internet, and ensure that reproductive health education equips children with accurate knowledge about their physical, mental, and social well-being,” Committee Chairperson Senator Bushra Anjum Butt was quoted as saying.

According to the press release, some committee members, including Dr Afnanullah Khan and Fawzia Arshad, proposed suggestions that they would try and incorporate in meetings with the education ministry.

Women in Pakistan face escalating challenges in accessing reproductive healthcare, with unsafe abortions and related complications rising sharply.

Experts have previously called for greater awareness of reproductive health and rights. They highlighted that this is essential, given the numerous challenges women face in accessing and exercising their sexual and reproductive health rights.

In May, the National Assembly unanimously passed a significant bill seeking stringent laws and penalties to curb child marriages and protect girls from becoming mothers in their teens.

The bill was introduced with the object to curb, discourage and eventually eradicate the concept and phenomenon of child marriages, stating that no nikah khwan can register a marriage if one or both of the parties is under the age of 18.