Child marriage in Pakistan

Child marriage is practiced in some parts of Pakistan, with the highest prevalence in the Sindh province.[citation needed] It disproportionately affects the girl child.[1] According to UNICEF report from 2018, around 18% of the girls in Pakistan are married before the age of 18 giving it the lowest rate of child marriage in South Asia after Sri Lanka.[2] Child marriage occurs most often in rural and the primary driving factor is poverty among the low-income households where education is minimal.[3]

  1. ^ Goonesekere, Savitri, Children, Law and Justice: A south Asian Perspective, p. 20.
  2. ^ Child Marriage Database. UNICEF. 30 July 2021.
  3. ^ Nasrullah, Muazzam; Zakar, Rubeena; Zakar, Muhammad (2014). "Child Marriage and Its Associations With Controlling Behaviors and Spousal Violence Against Adolescent and Young Women in Pakistan". Journal of Adolescent Health. 55 (6): 804–809. doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.06.013. PMID 25123525.