Early Marriage in Pakistan: So Little Done, but So Much to Do

Abstract

Marriage is a human social institution which lays the foundation of a family as a unit of a society. It has been happening in human societies since the dawn of the creation but with varying degree of celebrations, customs and traditions, modes and manners etc. It is regarded as a moment of celebration and joys not only for the couple who are going to lock in weddings, but in many parts of the world, it is a moment of joy and celebration for the blood relatives as well as the entire community. Unfortunately, it does not happen always especially in the case of early marriage. In such case, it does not give such a cause of celebrations to the wedding couple rather it imposes on them without their consent or informed consent. The practice of early marriages has been in vogue from time immemorial, but all its negative impacts whether social, economic, physical or psychological, are realized since the late 20th century. This literature based article highlights the concept, practice, causes and consequences of the child marriages with special reference to Pakistani society. It was concluded that by increasing literacy rate among the people and through educating them, the issue of early marriages may be minimized/dealt.

Keywords

• Maternal mortality; Poverty; illiteracy; School drop-out rate, Cultural value