For sake of property, 21-year-old Pakistani girl forced to marry underage boy

A 21-year-old girl in Punjab in Pakistan was forced to marry her 10-year-old cousin, in order that the property stays within the family.

The brothers of the girl named Mehwish, organized the wedding to a juvenile boy, Allah Ditta, in violation of the law, Pakistani media reported.

The incident took place in Bhngsika village on the outskirts of the town of Pindi Bhattian, and people in the locality have expressed their dismay and regretted the lack of action from Child Protection Bureau and other relevant legal institutions.

In Pakistan, child marriages often go unreported with even authorities concerned turning a blind eye.

Child marriage, that is marriage below the age of 18 years, is a cognizable offense under the Punjab Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Act 2015, with Section 5 of the law prescribing a jail term of six months or a fine of Rs50,000, or both, for solemnizing the marriage of a minor.