CSW welcomes the passage of the Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2026 by the Punjab Assembly in Pakistan as an important step towards preventing the abduction, forced conversion and forced marriage of Christian and Hindu girls which has been increasing in the province in recent years.
The bill, presented in the assembly by Punjab Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman and passed on 27 April, raises the minimum legal age for marriage for girls from 16 to 18 – as was already the case for boys – and declares underage marriage a non-bailable offence.
The passage of the bill comes days after a group of United Nations (UN) experts expressed concerns regarding the continued and widespread patterns of abduction and forced religious conversion through marriage affecting women and girls belonging to minority communities in Pakistan.
The experts also emphasised concerns regarding a culture of impunity by which perpetrators are emboldened, stating: ‘We are deeply concerned that law enforcement authorities often dismiss complaints lodged by victims’ families, fail to investigate or prosecute forced conversions in a timely manner, or neglect to properly assess the age of victims.’
The National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), the human rights body of the Pakistan Catholic Bishops Conference, welcomed the passage of the bill in a statement, whilst emphasising that ‘passing a law alone will not end the deep-rooted practice of child marriage’ and calling for ‘strong, uncompromising enforcement at every level’.
CSW partners in Pakistan documented 94 cases involving the abduction, forced conversion, and forced marriage of religious minority women and minor girls in 2025 – an increase from 83 in 2024. 76% of the victims were Hindu, 24% were Christian, and only 18% were adults. The majority of cases were documented in Sindh Province (79%), followed by Punjab (20%). The true figures are assumed to be much higher as many cases are not reported due to the intimidation of victims and their families by abductors, their relatives, or extremist groups.
CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: ‘CSW welcomes the passage of the Child Marriage Restraint Bill by the Punjab Assembly, and we urge lawmakers across the country – particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) Province, where the legal age for marriage is currently 16 for girls – to follow suit and amend all existing laws governing marriages of Muslims and religious minorities to standardise the legal age of 18 years for marriage. We also urge the government to go further still and enact legislation that explicitly criminalises forced conversion, ensuring that perpetrators and those complicit in such acts are held to account, and introduce legal safeguards to prevent the misuse of religious conversion claims in cases involving minority girls.’
Note to Editors:
- The UN experts who expressed concern at abduction, forced conversion and forced marriage in Pakistan are as follows: Tomoya Obokata, Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences; Nazila Ghanea, Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief; Nicolas Levrat, Special Rapporteur on minority issues; Siobhán Mullally, Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children; Claudia Flores (Chair), Ivana Krstić (Vice-Chair), Dorothy Estrada Tanck, Haina Lu and Laura Nyirinkindi of the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls; and Reem Alsalem, Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls.