PODA Engages District Lodhran Officials to Build Support for Legal Reform on Child Marriage
Lodhran; Thursday, 8 May 2025: As part of the project “Reduce Early Marriages to Enhance Gender Equality”, supported by the Norwegian Embassy, Islamabad, the PODA team conducted a series of high-level meetings with key government officials in District Lodhran on Thursday.
These meetings aimed to build institutional support for a proposed legal amendment to the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act 2015. The amendment seeks to raise the minimum legal age of marriage for girls to 18 years and to make the possession of a valid National Identity Card a mandatory requirement at the time of marriage registration. Engaging with government departments is a critical step in generating awareness, fostering collaboration, and building consensus around this legislative change. Their involvement ensures that enforcement mechanisms, public health policies, and community outreach programs align to protect girls from early and forced marriages.
The PODA team met with the following officials:
- Dr. Faisal Waheed Chughtai, Chief Executive Officer, District Health Authority Lodhran, and his team
- Mr. Tariq Sukhera, District Population Officer
- Dr. Muhammad Asif, Deputy District Officer Health
- Mr. Mohammad Israr, Chief Executive Officer, District Education Authority
- Ms. Hira Zulfiqar, Incharge, Tahafuz Center
- Mr. Mohammad Mukhtar Ahmed, Assistant Director, Local Government
- Ms. Nabila Zafar, Deputy District Officer Social Welfare and Bait-ul-Maal, Lodhran
Assistant Director Local Government, Muhammad Mukhtar, emphasized the need to expand the efforts of this project to reach a broader segment of the population for their overall well-being. He noted that in Musalihati (reconciliation) committees, a significant number of cases involve separation and divorce—an alarming trend often linked to underage marriages. He explained that young girls and boys are frequently unprepared to manage the responsibilities of married life in a mature and thoughtful manner. “Even to preserve our family system,” he added, “we must discourage child and early marriages—both socially and legally.”
These meetings served as an important platform for dialogue, cooperation, and advocacy, and will help advance the campaign for stronger legal protection against child marriage in Punjab.
The officials expressed their full support for the proposed legal amendment to raise the minimum age of marriage for girls to 18 years in Punjab. During the discussions, they acknowledged the importance of aligning provincial laws with national and international standards on child protection and gender equality. They also highlighted the example of Sindh, where the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act has already established 18 years as the minimum legal age of marriage for both girls and boys. This progressive legislation was cited as a model for Punjab to follow, reinforcing the need for a unified legal framework across provinces to effectively combat early and forced marriages.
