ISLAMABAD:Peace and Justice Network in collaboration with Aawaz Programme organized a consultative workshop on “Child Marriages in Punjab: Legislative Framework and Response Mechanism”, said a press release issued here on Saturday.
The provincial consultation was designed to identify the gaps in the available legal framework and to chalk out
strategies to address these gaps and to bring in the required behavioral change among the communities vis a vis child marriage.
Representatives from Population Welfare Department, Local Government, UNFPA and various civil society organizations participated besides the panelists including renowned academics, policy analyst, advocates and campaigners.
Dr. Yasmin Zaidi, Team Lead, Aawaz lI, during her opening remarks, said that Aawaz Il was working with local communities on behaviour change and enhanced awareness on the rights of marginalized including women, religious minorities, youth, transgender persons and persons with disabilities in 37 selected districts of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. She emphasized that there were two aspects of child marriage; one was legal and the other one was behaviour change. Aawaz Il, recognizes that it is the change in public behaviour that renders laws effective and instrumental in addressing the issues of child marriage, she added.
Ms. Khawar Mumtaz, Chairperson Aawaz ll Provincial Forum, who chaired the session
highlighted that child marriage was a quite complex issue so we need to address this
issue from various angles. Birth registration, effective law and awareness regarding
the detrimental effects of child marriage should all be important elements of our
advocacy initiatives, she expressed.
Mr. Sarfaraz Kazmi, Technical Advisor at UNFPA shared here views about domestic violence caused by child marriage. Saman Rai Director General, Population Welfare Department, shared how her department is focusing on child marriage by creating awareness and introducing various programmes.
Others who spoke includes Director, Local Government Punjab, Regional Director, Ministry of Human Rights, Ms. Robina Feroze Bhatti and Nazir Ahmad Ghazi.
To conclude the consultation session, Arshad Mahmood, head of Programme Delivery at Aawaz II, emphasized the significance of implementing preventive measures when addressing the issue of child marriage. He also highlighted that
Aawaz Il was actively engaged with communities, utilizing various forums to provide comprehensive information and link them with relevant government structures through referrals/referral directories and citizens state engagement activities.
At the end, Ms. Javaria Ejaz Peace and Justice Network Punjab Provincial Lead thanked all
the participants for joining and for taking the agenda forward through joint action.