45% girls get married before turning 18 in Balochistan: report

A report published by the Balochistan Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW), revealed the disturbing trend of early marriages in Pakistan's largest province, where 45 percent of girls marry before they turn 18.

Early marriage is more common among girls than boys, the report added.

An analysis of the statistics indicated that 12.5 percent of marriages occur before the age of 15 and 45 percent of girls under 18 are married.

According to PCSW, girls are at greater risk of early pregnancy due to the trend of early marriages in Balochistan, leading to higher rates of infant and maternal mortality.

The report stated early marriage can have devastating consequences for women, including restricted economic participation and limited educational opportunities.

Underage girls, who often lack awareness about their rights and the dangers of early marriage, are at a higher risk of gender-based violence.

The report recommended raising the minimum age of marriage to 18 and prohibiting traditional practices that promote early marriage.

The failure of the provincial legislature to pass the bill to raise the minimum age of marriage continues to allow the harmful practice of underage marriages.

An outdated Child Marriage Act 1929, which sets the minimum age of marriage at 18 for boys and 16 for girls, is still in effect in Balochistan and the penalties for violating this law are not severe.