Peshawar
EVAW/G Alliance (KP) in collaboration with UN Women Pakistan has warned that COVID-19 crisis would exacerbate the issue of child marriages and to for prevention of practice demanded enactment of Child Marriage Restraint Bill in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In a joint press conference at Peshawar Press Club on Monday on the issue of pending Child Marriages restrain Bill in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, EVAW Alliance member organizations said that the extent of the COVID-19 pandemic is still uncertain, but they envisage significant impacts for marginalized groups particularly girls and young women.
There are reports that in some areas, girls who are out of schools are being prepared for child marriage as a result of COVID-19 and its anticipated impacts. Girls and young women face underlying age-related barriers and discrimination in accessing essential services, information, support and safety for protection of their rights. TCSOs cautioned that forced child marriages could be on the rise due to school closures, food insecurity, and economic uncertainty triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Qamar Naseem Co-chair of EVAW/G Alliance KP said “Mostly people in our communities take cover of Islamic teachings for child marriages, that is absolutely incorrect. Islam is a visionary religion and it has undoubtedly stated that at the time of marriage , a person should have reached its maturity including both physical and mental development”.
