End-line Outcome Measurement for-AwazCDS-Pakistan

Early Age Marriages
Practices in the Past
According to participants of FGDs, in the past most of children particularly girls were married at early ages. In rural areas girls were married as early as 12-13 years old. Some community members claimed that as many as 70 percent of marriages early ages marriages. Though they also noted that incidence of early marriages differed among different sub-groups e.g. Siraiki speaking people tend to marry their children earlier compared to Punjabi speaking population. Similarly, Pathans also marry their children at early age. Incidence of early age marriages is much higher in rural areas compared to urban areas. Even among rural areas there are differences. In remote rural areas with little access to education e.g tribal belt, incidence of child marriages is much higher compared to those rural areas that are closer to the cities and have better access to education.
FGD participants also identified some peculiar marriages practices. For example, in Chand community, a community associated with the profession of pottery making, children are engaged once they reach their first birthday. When they reach the age of 10 they are married or sent to their in laws home.

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Posted in Program/Project Assessment.