In Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, cops have arrested a 70-year-old man for marrying a 13-year-old girl, an act deemed illegal and deeply concerning, reported ARY News.
According to reports, the minor girl’s father married her to the elderly man. Upon receiving this information, law enforcement promptly interfered and arrested both the groom and the father of the young girl.
Additionally, the officiant of the wedding ceremony and the witnesses were also taken into custody. Meanwhile, at a local hospital, the minor bride underwent a medical examination, according to ARY News.
The upsetting incident highlights the persistent challenge of child marriage, which not only violates the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution of Pakistan but also poses serious risks to the well-being of young girls in the country.
Under the country’s current legislation, the outdated Marriage Restraint Act of 1929 defines the minimum marriage age as 16 for girls and 18 for boys.
However, measures to raise the minimum marriage age to 18, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have faced opposition from conservative factions, hampering progress towards safeguarding the rights of vulnerable minors, reported ARY News.