National Assembly passes law to ban child, forced marriages
Pakistan has interdicted child marriage and hardened penalties for those guilty of the crime in an effort to crack down on the practice which is estimated to influence one in five girls residing the country. The legislation passed by the National Assembly or lower house of parliament, on monday, bans the forced marriages involving women from minority groups. Under the new law, the offenders will face a minimum of five years in prison and may serve up to 10 years. They also face a fine of up to Rs1 million. Prior to the changed legislation, offenders faced a minimum of three years in prison and a fine of Rs500,000. Read more here: