Empower 100 Child Brides in Pakistan

In Pakistan, Child Marriage remains a big Psycho-social & Health challenge. It’s correlated with high levels of poverty, and it’s evident in violence, low rates of food consumption and also inadequate nutrient intake. Child marriage and malnutrition is linked to morbidity and mortality, and its impact on young children in the Southern Punjab has become alarming.

At Jaag Welfare Movement, it is our goal to continuously evaluate our programs in the hopes of enhancing them and helping more people achieve positive Social & health outcomes. Here in Rahim Yar Khan, we have established a helpline for the victims of Child Marriage and Gender Based Violence. This Helpline is also providing guidance, moral and legal support to overcome the problems of Child Brides.  

The Project “Empower 100 Child Brides in Pakistan”, we have partnered with the GirlsNotBrides.org and received funding thru GlobalGiving from our precious individual committed donors. To achieve the objective of project, Helpline is medium for Provision to women with access to legal & social representation by ensuring the opportunities for all victims of Child Marriage and GBV to pursue justice against perpetrators of violence through the formal legal & social system.

We currently operate Help Line at one site to save Child Brides from physical, mental and sexual abuse analysis the impacts of provided moral and legal help to victims.

Our staff is busy enrolling participants, helping out in their domestic problems, referring to nearest medical facility for measuring children with severe acute malnutrition,  maintaining participant records, following up with and monitoring participants’ health & social status.

During the recent quarter, Newly established “Help Line”(Front Desk at Jaag) has provided moral support to 13 Child Brides, Financial support to 30 Child Brides and legal support to 5 Child Brides. What and how moral support works, an example is presented here for reference.

Saima (not original name) one of them who came to Help Line with wet eyes and was crying with marks of torture on her body but no fracture was made as evidence to report in Police. She came with her neighbor and told her story:

I got love marriage at the age of 15 trapped by an elder boy and soon became the mother of 2 kids. Elder son is now of 10 years and younger daughter is of 7 Years old.

My parents are living in District Faisalabad which is 400 KM far from this place. After a month of marriage, my husband was use to torture me for whom I left my loving parents but I could not return back as I felt guilty and later my kids were the hurdle to go back. Both kids are very weak and malnourished as I was so young to birth these children and did not support them with good food. My husband is a daily wager. Then I learned sewing and started to stitch the clothes of nearby community. 8-12 Hours daily working resulted prosperity but my husband’s attitude towards torture was remain same as he realized that I could not go back.

She said, “Now he made worst torture on me and give warning of divorce as he is interested in other woman. He demanded my saving PKR 50,000/- to give the loan to that woman and I refused, and he beaten me a lot. All the neighbors and my children are witnessed for this torture. My friend informed and brings me to this facility”.

Help Line officer called her husband and briefed with newly amended laws, punishment and fine along with the threat to publicize the issue through media and then you must  be ready to go to jail for minimum 3-7 years with fine of half million Rupees.   Officer realized him that we are so angry on his act and the video record of his children against their father is recorded here and can be a presented in legal case.

The threat & warning worked and he promised to stop this torture as this was my fault and crime. He affirms that he will not touch her for torture and live with peace.

Saima and her children are thanking you for providing assistance to establish this facility in our area. Saima said, "Finally someone is giving me the chance to talk about this suffering". 

Jaag Welfare Movement has become the partner of "Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights Movement" named Ujala for Get Up Speak Out project of Awaz Foundation Pakistan. It is similar project and it will strengthen this project and this project will strengthen the other one.