In Pakistan, certain crimes have become so routine that people no longer regard them as crimes. One of the most horrifying of them is child marriage.

Whenever anyone raises their voice against forced marriage of young girls, religion is used as a shield to shut the conversation down. But the question is:

Is cruelty ever justified in the name of religion or is it merely people hiding behind it their ignorance?

In many parts of Pakistan, little girls are still viewed as a burden, not as human beings with dreams, emotions and rights. In one decision of the adults around them, their childhood, their education, their future are taken away.

Recently a 9-year-old girl was reportedly married off to a 50-year-old man in the riverine “Kaccha” areas just because he was powerful. Think about that for a minute.

A child who should have been playing with dolls, going to school and dreaming about her future was forced into a life she could never understand or choose for herself.

This isn't marriage.

This is murder, childhood.
What is most heartbreaking is that these crimes are often supported not only by feudal lords and tribal leaders but sometimes even by the very parents of the child. They smash a whole future in a single moment.

That little girl could have been a doctor, a teacher, an artist, anything she wanted to be. Instead, she was forced into a relationship in which her consent was meaningless.

And then we wonder why our society will not move forward.

A land where the powerful can-do injustice with no fear of penalty can never be called a just land. Child marriage is not a tradition to be defended – it is abuse, emotional, physical and psychological abuse.

But society has become so numb that people will be outraged for a few days and then forget about it, while the victims will suffer for the rest of their lives.

But society is so numb that people get outraged for a few days and then move on, while the victims suffer for the rest of their lives.

A 9-year-old girl can never get her stolen childhood back.

No more “What will people say?”
The real question is

How many more little girls must die before society finally speaks up?

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)