Amid all the devastation from the floods, the state of humanity can be really saddening. One such instance is that of a 50-year-old man marrying off his 12-year-old daughter for a price.
He made a sale to marry off the child for a price of Rs. 50,000 in order to use the funds to repair their home.
As per BBC Urdu, the incident took place in Tehsil Mehar of District Dadu. As per reports, the family agreed to their minor daughter’s marriage for money to repair their house that was damaged in the recent monsoon floods.
Reportedly, the 12-year-old girl was ‘promised’ for 25,000 PKR and the remaining amount will be received on the day of the wedding, which will take place next month.
Child marriages are a crime, yet no authority has taken action against the family. When confronted with why he made such a choice, Qadir Bakhsh justified the marriage by saying;
“Our house, belongings have all been washed away. No one is helping us, not even the government, not even a kilo of flour has been found. The water will recede and we will go back to the village, so what will we do there with empty hands?”
Additionally, as per the non-government organization (NGO) ‘Zindagi Development Organization’, Qadir Bakhsh is not alone among those making such a decision.
There have been similar ‘marriages’ among two dozen girls from different families so far in his village.
When told that this marriage is illegal and a crime, he reportedly became angry and stated;
“First ask the government to help us and then explain to us what is wrong and what is right. Where will six people eat food? Who will arrange medicine for my wife who is sick? We don’t know when the water will recede and when we will go back, how will we survive until then? Who will solve our problems?”
Given the current state of relief work with rations being wasted as they are dropped out of helicopters, it’s unclear if authorities will intervene to help the 12-year-old being sold. As well as the dozens of other girls being sold in just that village alone.
