A SENSIBLE initiative is on the cards that proposes to use technology and the huge Nadra database to address critical social issues that affect young people in our midst at various stages of their life. The health ministry and the National Committee for Maternal and Neonatal Health in collaboration with the Association for Mothers and Newborns have developed an online course, called Bakhabar Noujawan, on 26 different topics for individuals between 15 and 29 years of age. It aims to equip them with evidence-based knowledge so they can make informed decisions about their health and well-being that will impact society as a whole. Among the most important of these topics is reproductive health. At a consultative meeting in Islamabad to discuss the initiative, it was suggested that this component be made mandatory for marriage registration, to which the Nadra chairman — who was one of the participants — expressed his willingness. Other proposals that emerged were for the age of couples to be verified at the time of marriage registration in order to prevent child marriages.

Lack of awareness about maternal health, contraceptives and spacing between births is a major hurdle in controlling the birth rate. Nearly 19,000 babies are born each day in Pakistan, a rate entirely unsustainable within our resources. Aside from Pakistan’s alarming birth rate, its maternal mortality rate, despite improvement, is still extremely high even compared with countries like Iran and Sri Lanka. This health emergency has a symbiotic link with underage marriage as the rigours of pregnancy and childbirth pose inherent dangers to young females. These are all pragmatic and doable proposals, although they must be taken further such as rolling out Urdu and regional language versions of the course, which at present is in English. On the other hand, the proposed national sex offenders’ registry, while a commendable idea in theory, is largely dependent on the criminal justice system being able to apprehend such individuals in the first place.

Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2023