 "What are Pakistan's climate-change induced 'monsoon child brides'?")
Climate change is undoubtedly one of the most pressing problems of our time. It has brought on devastation in country after country– whether through droughts or flooding or hurricanes.
And some sections of the population have been impacted a lot worse than others. In Pakistan, one of those groups have been little girls who are forced to become “monsoon brides”.
What are monsoon brides?
Pakistan’s “monsoon brides” is a disturbing trend that has emerged in the wake of the devastating floods of 2022. These floods submerged a third of the country, displaced millions, and severely impacted agricultural productivity, leading to economic insecurity for many families.
As a result, some families have resorted to marrying off their underage daughters in exchange for money as a survival tactic. This practice has been observed particularly in regions like Sindh, which was among the hardest-hit areas during the floods.
The term “monsoon brides” indicates the timing of these marriages– often coinciding with the rainy season, which is crucial for agricultural activities but has become increasingly unpredictable and destructive due to climate change.
Life of monsoon child brides
Al Jazeera recently reported the case of Asifa (name-changed), who was married at the age of 13 to a much older man whom she didn’t know. By 15, she became a mother. Her entire childhood was lost.
Her parents, who had once hoped to give Asifa education, realised after the floods hit their agriculture-based livelihood, that marrying her in return for money was the only thing they could do to help their other three younger children survive.
A lage chunk of underage marriages of girls like Asifa occur in May and June – just before the monsoon rains begin. The timing suggests that the weddings take place in anticipation of the damage that was expected from the torrential downpours.
Mashooque Birhmani, founder of an NGO Sujag Sansar, said “Before the 2022 rains, girls would not get married so young in this area [referring to villages in Sindh province]…Such cases remained rare. Young girls were helping their parents make rope for wooden beds or work on the land.”
Impact Shorts
More ShortsFailure of law enforcement agencies
The legal marriage age for girls in Pakistan varies by province, typically between 16 and 18 years old, but enforcement of these laws is rare. Consequently, child marriages have become more prevalent, with Pakistan ranking sixth globally for the number of girls married before the age of 18.
These marriages often involve young girls being wed to much older men, with the promise of financial security that rarely materialises.
Instead, these girls often face hardships, including poverty and lack of access to education and healthcare.
With inputs from agencies
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