HYDERABAD: District Commissioner Tando Muhammad Khan, Agha Abdul Raheem has vowed to implement the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act 2013 in district. During an orientation meeting of a district monitoring committee formed under the law, he emphasised on proper training to nikahkhuwans/nikah registrars, secretaries of union councils besides binding police in district to follow law strictly. Sindh Community Foundation-a civil society organisation in collaboration with United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women organised the meeting.
Tando Muhammad Khan is one of the few districts in province where district monitoring committee has been formed. Agha called for collective action to address this issue by promoting awareness of the law in the general public.
He impressed upon the need for inter-department coordination to create a support mechanism for the implementation of the law in letter and spirit. Iqbal Detho, Human Right practitioner highlighted the role of the monitoring committee and identified flaws in the implementation of the law. Unless all structures were not placed at district level this law could not be implemented in its real terms.
Women Development Departments should be established in every district, fully equipped with facilities to address this issue efficiently, he added.
He said along with district monitoring committee, police and judiciary have a key role in the legal aspects of the law’s application.
He informed that the role for implementation of the law by local government department has been missing in business rules of SCMRA 2013. Birth certificate of union council is a legal document that can be used for knowing the age of girl.
Javed Hussain, head of Sindh Community informed that according to survey of his organization, out of 300 participating women, 210 were married early and this intensity was very high in the district.
He said early marriages were silent dilemma in district. Socio-economic factors, lack of awareness in communities and general public at large scale are needed. Government institutions should come forward to lead in ending this social evil which has been exploiting human rights of a girl.
He said his organisation has been creating awareness in targeted 10 villages but there was need to expand this in all villages of the district.
Role of elected representatives in local government system would also help in implementation of law at a local level.
Other speakers on the committee belonging to law, civil society, media, minority, education, health and social welfare were of the view that prevalence of child marriage was higher in scheduled castes, non-Muslim and in Muslim communities in districts where poor livelihood remained a source.
The committee has planned a public awareness campaign through print and electronic media besides making child protection unit functional and use of hotline to stop such incidence through effort of committee.
Hassan Soomro, District Secondary Education Officer, Dr Ali Mux DHO Health, Urs Khaskheli, Deputy Director Social Welfare Department, Jamil Ahmed DSP Tando Muhammad Khan, Haji Ismaeel Memon of Tajran Federation Tando Muhammad Khan, Additional Deputy Commissioner Junaid Ahmed Samo, Mushtaq Memon, General Secretary District Bar Association Tando Muhammad Khan, Dr Ashoke, Ms Rehana Ali and Ms Aisah Agha from SCF also spoke on the occasion.
Published in Daily Times, August 4th 2017.
