GILGIT: Public representatives and the chairperson of National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) on Friday expressed reservations over lack of constitutional rights available for women in Gilgit-Baltistan.

They demanded immediate legislation to empower women in the region.

NCSW with support from its partners organisations, including Unicef and UN Women, held a two-day national consultation on child marriages. The second round of the consultation was held in Gilgit on Friday.

Speaking on the occasion, NCSW Chairperson Nilofar Bakhtiar said the commission was helping in reviewing and improving a draft Child Marriage Restraint Bill for Gilgit-Baltistan with the support and collaboration of civil society, relevant government departments, educational institutions and religious scholars.

NCSW helping review Child Marriage Restraint bill for Gilgit-Baltistan, says chairperson

The law would ensure provision of basic health facilities to young girls and guarantee their rights under the teachings of Islam. She said the draft bill would be thoroughly examined by the Council of Islamic Ideology before moving it to the legislative assembly.

She regretted that women in the region had no rights which were enjoyed by women in other parts of the country.

Ms Bakhtiar said Diamer district of Gilgit-Baltistan had the highest rate of early marriages in the country. She lamented that women in GB had no access to law and judiciary to protect their rights.

“It is amazing that there is no shelter home and separate jail for women in GB. The women have no easy access to law to protect themselves.”

She demanded legislation to ensure women’s rights and said she was visiting GB because she loved the area and because it had an elected government that could take forward the legislation.

She said only with the help of proper education could we protect young girls from sexual and social exploitation. She promised her full support at every step to move forward the agenda to prevent child marriage in the region.

GB Assembly Speaker Nazir Ahmed advocate said the bill to end child marriages would be tabled in the assembly soon.

He said in 2015 the bill was submitted to the assembly to end early child marriages; however, it couldn’t not tabled so far in the house. He thanked the NCSW chairperson for taking interest in the issue of child marriages in GB.

He said in our society we don’t allow anyone to drive, to do any job, to enter into an agreement before reaching the age of 18 years. But we allow the underage marriage that is one of the most serious contracts in life. This is simply against common sense and it has no religious base.

Minster for Women Development Dilshad Bano said women in the region had multiple issues. She said there were threats from powerful mafia against reporting crime against women. It is alarming that GB has the highest number of child marriages in Pakistan.

She said recently a teenage nine-grade student of a private school committed suicide. She said the deceased was allegedly tortured by her teacher at the school. Despite a protest by her family, the media and police didn’t report the incident.

Ms Bano appreciated the help and support of the NCSW chairperson aimed at bringing up pro-women laws and measures in GB to empower the local women. She also expressed gratitude to the speaker GB assembly, lawmakers and government officers for joining hands for the important cause.

Secretary Women Development Fida Hussain said the department was taking measures to empower women such as building their capacity in demand-driven trades. He said 19 women had been trained so far in digital skills, cooking, embroidery and knitting in the districts of Skardu, Diamer, Astore, Hunza and Nagar.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2023