Empower 100 Child Brides in Pakistan

"Child Marriage is a big issue and very much relevant to rapid increment of population of Pakistan while Jaag Welfare Movement’s project “Empower 100 Child Brides in Pakistan” has changed the role of our Field Health Workers who attended the last year seminar and participated in signature campaign to raise awareness against the Child Marriage”, said by Shahid Ilyas District Population Welfare Officer, Government of Punjab in a seminar organized by Population Welfare and Project “Empower 100 Child Brides in Pakistan” on April 7, 2017 here in Allama Iqbal Library Rahim Yar Khan.

He said, “If we commit something and do accordingly, we feel pleasure and success in our goal, I am feeling pleasure to listen from my field workers who attended the seminar and signed the banner which was produced and suggested by Jaag Welfare Movement to end Child Marriage that they have convince many people to avoid their children marriage”.

Shahid Ilyas said, “I appreciate the efforts of Jaag Welfare Movement and the project “Empower 100 child brides in Pakistan”, to minimize the occurrence of child marriage and a volatile progress to delay first birth in younger brides. Child marriages deemed to be malnutrition, torture and violence on girls. Girls are mostly victims of becoming machine to produce children only. Girls are not economically, morally and socially empowered to be a beneficial citizen if they are engaged early and have child.”

Shahid Ilyas said, We have print that signature banner for remembering the promise to each Field Health worker that he or she has commitment to end or minimize child marriage occurance. So now there are more 200 field health workers who are working like Abdul Rub Farooqi or activists to end Child Marriage. 

Seminar was facilitated and hosted by Abdul Rub Farooqi, Executive Director, Jaag Welfare Movement, who sensitized the participants and briefed the UNICEF report on Child Marriage issues. He said that in world there are 720 million women are alive who are the victime of Child Marriage (under 18) while 156 Million men were married before the age of 18. He said that this is alarming situation that more than 25% of Child Marriage victims belong to Pakistan. 

He also informed the audiance about the project's 3 year progress in which 50 Child Brides were supported directly with financial incentives and tools provision with skill enhancement. While 3000 people including parents, students and teachers were sensitized to avoid and condemn child marriage. 5 Medical Camps were organized to delay first birth and provision of nutrition and multi-vitamin. Jaag has provided 20 KG Moringa olefiera powder to these girls for their mal-nutritions. The project has rescued and save a dozen Girls to be a bride and protect them until to reach them the legal age of  marriage. 

Other speakers also encourage the action of Project and discourage the event of Child Marriage in their speeches. Qazi Hafeez a religious scholar and educationist said that every men and women have the right to education, economic empowerment and social status. 

Seminar concluded with Award Distribution ceremoney. Chief Guest Khawaja Muhammad Idrees Chairman District Zakat Comittee Rahim Yar Khan given the best performance award to Abdul Rub Farooqi, Executive Director Jaag Welfare Movement Rahim Yar in connection with the celebration of Population welfare week and to work against the Child marriage issue.