Participants at the 18th three-day Rural Women Leadership Training Conference organised by PODA at Lok Virsa on the second day unanimously called on all provincial assemblies to establish a minimum marriage age of 18 for both boys and girls. Delegates said a clear national standard for the marriage age 18 is needed to prevent any exploitation or circumvention of the law anywhere in the country.
PODA Executive Director Samina Nazir thanked the visiting dignitaries for amplifying the voices of rural women and for encouraging their leadership. She emphasised that setting the marriage age 18 would protect future generations and strengthen efforts already underway at the grassroots to promote girls’ rights and rural empowerment.
Three policy sessions featured a number of foreign envoys and national experts who shared comparative perspectives and practical advice. Among those attending were Ireland’s Ambassador to Pakistan Mary O’Neill, Nepal’s Ambassador Rita Dhyatial, Acting Ambassador of Tunisia Dorsaf Maroufi, Rwanda’s High Commissioner Harerimana Nafto and Yemen’s Ambassador Mohammad Mataher Al-Ashabi. Speakers from civil society and government included Dr Marcelo Gulietti on agricultural scale-up, Federal Ombudsperson for Harassment Fozia Waqar, Islamabad Women Chamber of Commerce President Samina Fazil, Deputy Attorney General Hafsa Bokhari, Sajila Khan of CABI and Brigadier Dr Mamuna Mushtaq.
Foreign diplomats praised the generosity and resilience of the Pakistani people and discussed their countries’ experiences in advancing women’s rights. Ambassador Mary O’Neill reflected on her own rural upbringing and encouraged the delegates, saying that efforts to secure the marriage age 18 will yield benefits for generations to come even if results are gradual.
Approximately 550 rural women from 90 districts, representatives of four embassies, civil society activists and media attended the day’s sessions. The conference combined policy debate with cultural showcases, with Jagni Theatre and performances led by Nawabzada Asfandyar Khattak presenting regional dances and songs from Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that delighted participants and reinforced the cultural roots of the rural women’s movement.
Delegates vowed to carry the demand for marriage age 18 back to their districts and to press provincial assemblies to adopt the standard so that every child and family across Pakistan benefits from consistent, protective legislation.
