In response to a disturbing case of child marriage in Sheikhupura’s Kot Nazir area, police took decisive action on Monday by apprehending at least one suspect. The incident involved the marriage of a five-year-old girl to a 13-year-old boy.
The suspect was arrested during a raid, with additional operations underway to apprehend other individuals involved in the child marriage.
It’s worth noting that marrying before the age of 16 is illegal in Punjab, yet instances of child marriages persist in the province.
A case has been registered under the Child Marriage Act, as confirmed by a police spokesperson representing the assistant sub-inspector of Sadar Muredke police station. The first information report (FIR) stated that the children were forcibly married, and the suspects fled upon seeing the police arrive.
In a significant development, the grandfather of the child, identified as Yousaf, confessed that he and his son, Muzammil Abbas, were involved in forcibly marrying their grandchild.
The first information report (FIR) further identified additional individuals involved in the marriage. Among them were Imran, the father of the underage girl, her grandfather Amjad, Bashir, and Akram Suleman alias Chana. Additionally, a suspect named Arshad was responsible for making all the arrangements, while another suspect identified as Umar Hayat solemnized the nikah.
The FIR emphasized that the actions of the suspects constituted a violation of ‘The Child Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Act 2015.’ In 2015, Punjab retained the legal age of marriage at 16 years but augmented the penalties for contravening the law, amending the Child Marriage Restraint Ordinance 1971 and enacting the Punjab Marriage Restraint Act 2015.
Furthermore, in a bid to combat underage marriages, the Punjab government has drafted the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2024, as reported by The News on April 25. According to available documents, individuals who marry a girl or boy under the age of 18 or facilitate such marriages will face strict penalties. Offenders could be sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for a minimum of two years and a maximum of three years, in addition to fines ranging from one to two lakh rupees. Moreover, those involved in registering marriages of minor children could also be subject to imprisonment for a term not less than two years and not more than three years, along with fines ranging from one to two lakh rupees.
Parents or guardians who facilitate, support, or permit the marriage of minor children could face rigorous imprisonment for a minimum of two years and a maximum of three years, accompanied by fines ranging from Rs100,000 to Rs200,000.
