PAKISTAN
 
Islamabad raises minimum marriage age to 18 to protect Christians

by Shafique Khokhar
07/11/2024

The country's Churches have been pushing for this measure to counter the problem of early marriages, often linked to abductions. (FORCED CONVERSIONS)

“We hope the government will take further steps to criminalise forced religious conversions," the Bishops' Conference said.

Islamabad (AsiaNews) – Pakistan finally passed a law that raises the minimum marriage age for Christian boys and girls to 18. The new legislation amends the Christian Marriage Act of 1872.

Lawmaker Naveed Amir Jeeva introduced the bill in the National Assembly of Pakistan, where it was unanimously approved, a step the Pakistani Senate took a few months ago.

Under the old law, girls could get married as early as 13 while boys could marry at 16, a legacy of the past that made it harder to protect minors, in particular girls, from sexual abuse and child marriage.

The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Pakistan (CBCP), through its human rights body, the National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), has warmly welcomed the passage of the Christian Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2024.

Bishop Samson Shukardin, who chairs the CBCP, together with NCJP national director Fr Bernard Emmanuel, and NCJP executive director Naeem Yousaf expressed their gratitude in a joint statement.

All three stressed that this amendment fulfils a request they had made for some time.

"We extend our sincere appreciation to the entire parliament for passing this bill unanimously,” their statement reads.

“This legislation will play a crucial role in protecting our young and minor girls from forced conversions and child marriages. We hope the government will take further steps to criminalise forced religious conversions," it goes on to say.

“The beauty of the act is that it was presented after the consensus of all main Churches of Pakistan,” Naeem Yousaf Gill told AsiaNews.

“We are hopeful,” he added, “that this legislation will protect our girls” and “secure their fundamental rights, particularly their right to education, health, and other ancillary rights.”

What is more, “This Act demands that marriage to be solemnised and registered only when the age of both contracting parties are 18-year-old.”

The legislation “further states that in case of a dispute regarding the age of any contracting party, the court will determine the age based on a CNIC,[*] birth certificate, educational certificates, or any other pertinent documents. In the absence of such documents, the age may be determined based on a medical examination report.”

Photo: WikiCommons/Gull1122