Pakistan has taken stronger legal steps to prevent child marriage. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the existing law sets the minimum marriage age for girls at 16, making marriage and rukhsati below this age illegal. A proposal to raise the minimum age to 18 was recently presented in the provincial assembly, but the province has not yet passed a law to increase the legal age to 18.
In Punjab, the 2026 Child Marriage Restraint law sets 18 years as the minimum legal age for both boys and girls. It also bars Nikah registrars from registering a marriage involving anyone under 18 and introduces tougher punishments for adults, parents, guardians and others who facilitate such marriages.
Sindh has already had an 18-year minimum age for both males and females under its 2013 law. Islamabad Capital Territory also adopted an 18-year minimum under the Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2025. Balochistan also raised the legal marriage age to 18 through legislation passed in 2025.
The latest laws are aimed at protecting children from the effects of early marriage, including disruption to education, health risks and other safety concerns.
