UNFPA, supported by UKAid, is facilitating a three-day exposure visit for a delegation of eight Punjab MPAs to Sindh to study the implementation of the Child Marriage Restraint Act (2013) and to build momentum for the passage of the Child Marriage Bill in Punjab. The visit is intended to allow lawmakers to learn directly from Sindh’s pioneering legal and institutional experience in addressing child marriage.
On their first day the delegation visited the Koohi Goth Fistula Center, where they gained a sobering view of the severe health consequences tied to child marriage. MPAs met fistula patients and observed how this traumatic childbirth injury, often sustained by young brides, undermines physical health and long-term well-being, underscoring why the issue of child marriage is a pressing public health and human rights concern.
The delegation also held a meeting with the Honorable Chief Minister of Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah, who briefed them on Sindh’s legal steps and institutional measures to prevent child marriage and support survivors. That exchange focused on practical lessons from Sindh’s enforcement and support mechanisms that could inform legislative debate in Punjab.
The three-day programme will continue with further briefings and exchanges between Punjab MPAs, Sindh officials and service providers to inform work on the Child Marriage Bill in Punjab. Lawmakers said the direct exposure to Sindh’s experience and to the health impacts witnessed at the Koohi Goth Fistula Center will help shape more effective legal and policy responses to child marriage in their own province.
