In the Kot Nazir neighborhood of Sheikhupura, a five-year-old girl was married to a thirteen-year-old male. On Monday, police detained at least one suspect in the case involving child marriage.
The suspect was apprehended during a raid, according to the police, and other raids were being carried out to apprehend the other suspects in the child marriage.
It should be mentioned that getting married before the age of sixteen is forbidden in Punjab. However, child marriages are common in the region.
According to the police spokeswoman, an application under the Child Marriage Act has been filed on behalf of the assistant sub-inspector of the Sadar Muredke police station.
The children were being forced into marriage, according to the first information report (FIR), which also stated that the perpetrators left as soon as they spotted the police approaching.
The child’s grandfather, Yousaf, reportedly acknowledged to the FIR that he and his son, Muzammil Abbas, were forcing their grandchild into marriage.
The underage girl Imran’s father, her grandfather Amjad, Bashir, and Akram Suleman, also known as Chana, were reportedly present during the marriage, and all of the arrangements were made by a suspect named Arshad. The person who solemnized the nikah was a suspect named Umar Hayat.
The FIR stated that the accused had forced the underage children into marriage, which was illegal under “The Child Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Act 2015.”
Punjab revised the Child Marriage Restriction Ordinance 1971 and passed the Punjab Marriage Restraint Act 2015, maintaining the province’s 16-year-old marriage age but enhancing the penalties for breaking the ban.
In the meantime, as The News reported on April 25, the Punjab government has drafted the Punjab Child Marriage Restriction Act, 2024, to forbid marriages between people under the age of 18.
The publication’s documents state that anyone who arranges or marries a girl or boy under the age of eighteen faces a minimum two-year prison sentence and a maximum three-year prison sentence, as well as a fine of at least one lakh rupees and a maximum of two lakh rupees. In addition, anyone found to have registered the marriage of a minor kid faces a minimum two-year jail sentence, a maximum three-year jail sentence, and a fine of between one lakh and two lakh rupees.
A fine of no less than Rs. 100,000 or more than Rs. 200,000 will be levied on parents or guardians who encourage, support, or allow the marriage of a minor child. The punishment will be harsh imprisonment for a minimum of two years and a maximum of three years.
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