By Abdul Rub Farooqi | Executive Director, Jaag Welfare Movement
Interactive Puppet Shows
These interactive puppet shows sensitize the children towards education and promote awareness regarding serious implication of Child Marriage. Mothers and other young girls also watch and get sensitize. During the last quarter More than 1200 participants were made aware and sensitized in 4 Interactive Puppet shows. Each interactive puppet show started with the briefing from Abdul Rub Farooqi, Executive Director Jaag Welfare Movement on the issues related to importance of Education for the girl child and serious social and health implication of early marriages. Pakistan Puppet Group performed in all interactive puppet show that have vast experience to highlight social issues and particularly on education and Child Marriage.
Medical Camps
An early marriage leads to early conception, which ultimately affects the health of a teenage girl i.e.more than one-third of maternal deaths in the country occurred among females who were married between the ages of 14 and 17 years.Typically, enormous pressures to bear children are put on child brides. In the developing countries, early pregnancy is the leading cause of death for young girls between the ages of 15 and 18. Girls as young as twelve are forced into marriage and lose their childhoods for a life that is defined by isolation, violence and poor health. Marrying at a young age has lifelong consequences. National indicators on maternal health, education, food security, poverty eradication, HIV/AIDS, and gender equality are all negatively correlated with high child marriage rates in rural areas of Pakistan.
To address this problem two Medical Camps were installed where and 540 Girls, women and Mothers were checked and 450 patients were provided with medicines. During these camps Health care tips were provided by the Gynecologist. These awareness session raised awareness among the child brides and women about family planning issues.
Training Workshop with Marriage Registrar
An amendment to the Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929, which now carries harsher punishments and fines for the Nikah Khwan (Marriage Registrar) who solemnizes the marriage and the brides guardian. According to the law, the minimum age for a girl to be married is 16 and for groom is 18. The fine and punishment for violating the law has been increased from Rs. 1000 and one month imprisonment to Rs. 50,000 and six months imprisonment. In order to avoid any fines and punishment the Nikah Khwan(Marriage Registrar) has to ensure the marriage contract is properly filled and no clauses have been left blank – failure in this regard will result in a Rs. 25,000 fine and one month imprisonment.
Two training workshops with Marriage Registrar were conducted to sensitize about their responsibility to follow new law to minimize the Child Marriage. All participants who were religious leaders also promise to inform other marriage registrars about this law.
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