The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has launched a new campaign in Pakistan aimed at raising awareness and combating child marriage, with actress and child rights advocate Saba Qamar serving as UNICEF’s National Ambassador.
In a video released for the initiative, Saba Qamar urged communities to stand united against child marriage, stressing the importance of protecting children’s rights and empowering girls. UNICEF stated that this campaign is part of its broader efforts to safeguard vulnerable children and promote gender equality nationwide.
Read more: Saba Qamar Named UNICEF Pakistan’s First National Ambassador for Child Rights
Saba Qamar highlighted the damaging effects of child marriage on young girls’ health, education, and future prospects. She questioned why children should be forced into marriages they did not choose and shared a personal experience from Sujawal, Sindh, where she met a courageous 14-year-old girl, Anam Nazir, who successfully prevented three child marriages in her community. This encounter, she said, demonstrated the impact of awareness and community involvement.
Expressing her commitment to the cause, Saba Qamar said she stands alongside those affected by child marriage — mostly girls, but sometimes boys — who suffer in silence due to this harmful tradition.
Pakistan ranks sixth globally in the prevalence of child brides, with approximately 19 million girls married before turning 18. Nearly half of these girls become mothers during their adolescence, facing significant health challenges. The practice also negatively affects education, with only 13% of married girls completing secondary school compared to 44% of their unmarried peers.
UNICEF welcomed the recent move by the Islamabad Capital Territory to raise the legal marriage age to 18, in line with Sindh province’s laws, and called on other regions to follow suit to protect children’s rights across Pakistan.
