“You are a child and this is not your business”: Decision-making on child marriage in Sindh, Pakistan

Abstract

Young people in Pakistan face challenges such as child marriage, which have adverse consequences on their education, employment, health and overall well-being. We conducted interviews (26) and focus group discussions (12) with young people (15 to 24 years) and community stakeholders to understand how child marriage is perceived by them and to gain insight into the decision-making regarding marriage of youth in Sindh, Pakistan. Study findings show that many young people wish to marry later, but recognize that child marriage is used as a protective strategy to cope with poverty and prevent sexual activity prior to marriage. Young people are expected to obey elders and young women are relegated to domestic roles which limit their decision-making about marriage. Young people and parents who are educated seem to have more negotiating power in delaying marriage than those with little or no education. Our results suggest that interventions should focus on expanding education and livelihood opportunities for young women while changing social norms through parental engagement and youth empowerment.