Latest news with #UmeLailaAzhar
Express Tribune
06-08-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
NCSW hosts consultative session on dowry
In line with the ongoing review of family laws, National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) convened the second national consultation on the Dowry and Bridal Gifts (Restriction) Act, 1976. The session is part of a series of legal reform consultations, following directives from the Sub-Committee of the National Assembly Gender Mainstreaming. The consultation was chaired by NCSW Chairperson Ume Laila Azhar and brought together key stakeholders from several ministries and divisions directly associated with the subject discussed.
Express Tribune
10-07-2025
- Express Tribune
NCSW condemns violence against girls
National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) strongly condemns the recent killings and violence against young girls in the name of honour, including technology-facilitated violence. NCSW Chairperson Ume Laila Azhar, expressed her deep concern over the alarming rise in cases of violence against young girls, particularly in the name of honour. "This brutal incident can never be called a killing in the name of honour," she said. "What type of honour is it to kill a person, take someone's life, and that too of your own daughter, over a petty issue like not deleting TikTok from her mobile?" Azhar demanded strict implementation of laws to prevent such incidents and called for a wake-up call for parents to thoroughly know the spouses of their daughters before considering them for marriage. She also highlighted the need for collective action to prevent technology-facilitated gender-based violence, which is becoming a threat to the next generation. She took notice of two recent incidents, one in Rawat, where a young girl was killed by her father, and another in Lyari, Karachi, where a 19-year-old girl was a victim of attempted murdered and is suffering from severe sexual violence issues.
Express Tribune
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Campaign calls for under-18 marriage ban
In view of the increasing trend of child marriage and its serious consequences, National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) along women's right organisations has launched a comprehensive campaign across the country calling for banning marriage before the age of 18. Addressing a press conference, NCSW Chairperson Ume Laila Azhar applauded the ICT Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2025. She said that after Sindh, it is a welcome move that the minimum age for marriage of girls in Islamabad is 18 years. "We demand that the minimum age for marriage be set at 18 years across the country. We have to think about the future of our girls and boys and take steps for their education and health. We have to stop the exploitation of our children, especially girls. This is not just a matter of marriage, it is a matter of raising future generations. We will launch a nationwide campaign for this bill so that there is standard uniformity in the law regarding this across Pakistan." she said. A renowned gender expert, Fehmida Iqbal, presented relevant statistics, showing that 18 per cent of girls in Pakistan are married before the age of 18, while 54 per cent of young girls become pregnant before the age of 18, which proves to be a significant reason for the threat to their lives and the lives of the newborn.
