ISLAMABAD: On World Children’s Day, we review steps taken by Pakistan to ensure the welfare of its children in 2025: enacting legislation to protect minors from early marriage and labour exploitation.

UNICEF celebrates the day on November 20 every year, calling on governments worldwide to listen to young people and protect their rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Groundbreaking child marriage legislation

Pakistan’s most notable achievement came in May, when President Asif Ali Zardari signed the Islamabad Capital Territory Child Marriage Restraint Act. The law sets 18 as the minimum age for marriage for both boys and girls in the federal capital.

Under the new legislation, anyone arranging or facilitating underage marriages, including parents, guardians, and religious officials, faces up to seven years in prison and fines of up to Rs1 million. Courts are empowered to intervene and block planned child marriages, with decisions required within 90 days; marriage registrars must verify ages using national identity cards.

Former Minister for Women Development Sherry Rehman called the law “transformative.”

“This law is not just about banning child marriage. It is a declaration that our girls deserve the right to childhood, to education, to health, and to a life free from coercion and harm.”

Legal experts noted that a 2023 Federal Shariat Court ruling confirmed that setting the minimum marriage age at 18 complies with Islamic law, helping to counter religious opposition to the reforms.

Balochistan raises marriage age

Balochistan became the latest province to raise the legal marriage age to 18 in November, addressing high rates of early marriage in the south-western province. A 2024 Save the Children survey found that nearly two-thirds of marriages in Balochistan occurred before age 18, with 40% before age 16. One in four girls surveyed had their first child before 16, and 60% gave birth before 18.

Community members cited cultural beliefs about family honour and economic pressures as drivers of early marriages. Previously, girls could marry at 16, while boys were required to be 18. The province now joins Sindh, which enacted similar protections in 2014.

Child labor protections

In August, the National Assembly passed the Islamabad Child and Adolescent Labour Bill, which aims to prohibit and regulate child labor in the capital territory. While child labor laws exist at federal and provincial levels, including the Employment of Children Act 1991, the new bill updates provisions to align with international child rights conventions.

Government coordination and oversight

The National Commission for Child Welfare and Development, operating under the Ministry of Human Rights, has overseen Pakistan’s implementation of UN child rights obligations throughout 2025.

Established in 1979 as an advisory body on child issues, the commission coordinates monitoring and facilitates implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, submitting mandatory reports to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva.

UNICEF’s message on World Children’s Day

This year’s theme, “My Day, My Rights,” encourages communities to listen to children and understand how they experience their rights.

According to UNICEF, “Children and young people are powerful agents of change, bringing new ideas and perspectives that can help shape a better world for all of us.”

The organization now works in more than 190 countries, focusing on reaching vulnerable and excluded children.

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World Children’s Day 2025: How Pakistan advanced child welfare this year