DADU: Mashooque Birhamani, the chief executive officer of the Sujag Sansar Organisation (SSO), has said that the child marriage is a curse on the society and its number can be reduced with awareness, implementation of law and educating the masses.
He was addressing an event organised at the Zero Point of the Manchhar Lake, some 50 kilometres away from Dadu city on Monday. People from different walks of life including families participated largely in the event. It was interesting to note that among the participants, women out numbered men as they took keen interest in theatre and songs and participated in walk against child marriages.
They also witnessed the mock child marriage animated at the venue. “We have a working relationship with this village since the formation of our organisation as this was the first to reach the fisher folk community during 2007 floods and other calamities,” Birhamani informed the gathering. He said that his organisation was working on human rights, girls’ education, environment protection, awareness through theatre plays, media advocacy and emergency response.
In April 2014, the Sindh Assembly passed the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2013 prohibiting marriage of children below 18 years. Under the bill, the minimum age for the marriage is 18 years. Those found violating the law would be punished in line with the penalty suggested in the legislation. In cases of underage marriages, those involved can be sentenced to three years in prison or also can be fined, according to the law.
Advocate Naeem Arain had said that the child marriages occur more in Sindh as compared to other provinces. “One of the biggest problems in highlighting a case of child marriage is that the police stations concerned across the province are not aware of the law or the sections under which they can arrest the culprits,” he told a seminar in 2015.
On Monday, the representatives of the fisher folk community also addressed the event and denounced the child marriage. They suggested that the law must be distributed to police stations across Sindh after translation into Urdu and Sindhi languages.
