Sindh Community Foundation

Curb early marriages through human rights education and advocacy in Sindh, Pakistan

Focus area: Preventing Violence

According to Pakistan’s 2007 Demographic and Health Survey, 50 per cent of women aged between 15 and 29 marry by the age of 20 and 7 per cent become mothers by the age of 15. In 2013, the Sindh Assembly passed the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act, prohibiting the marriage of children below the age of 18. This is the first legislative tool to curb early marriage in the country.

Photo: Sindh Community Foundation

The project aims to engage a wide array of stakeholders – including civil society, youth, the police, the media, the judiciary and religious leaders – in 30 villages across Sindh Province in creating a safe and protective community environment for girls at risk of early marriage. The project seeks to curb early marriages through community human rights awareness and by encouraging local stakeholders to be vigilant in identifying violations of the early marriage legislation. It will also encourage them to become agents of change, promoting the effective implementation of the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act. The project will also promote girls’ leadership as a tool to eliminate violence and early marriages.

Grant Amount: USD 99,980

Project duration: 1 Jan 2016 – 31 Dec 2017