In a significant legislative move, Governor Saleem Haider Khan of Punjab introduced a new ordinance on Wednesday to ban child marriages, marking a major shift from the prevailing tradition. Under this new decree, previously established as discriminatory by gender, the minimum legal marriage age for both males and females was set at 18 years. The previous act, enacted in 1929 under the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act, had stipulated an 18-year-old limit for men but only a 16-year-old for women.
The ordinance’s promulgation on Wednesday is effective immediately across Punjab and follows Article 128(1) of the Constitution. With this new legislation in place, marriage registrars are prohibited from registering child marriages, with violators facing up to one year imprisonment and fines of Rs100,000.
Adults involved in such agreements would be subject to rigorous jail sentences ranging from two to three years along with hefty fines of up to Rs500,000. Furthermore, the ordinance criminalizes any cohabitation resulting from child marriages as “child abuse,” carrying penalties of five to seven years’ imprisonment and a minimum fine of Rs1 million.
The new law also targets the issue of child trafficking linked to marriage by imposing severe punishments—five to seven years in prison with fines up to Rs1 million. Additionally, guardians are now held accountable for promoting or failing to prevent underage marriages; violators could face rigorous jail terms between two and three years along with a fine of up to Rs500,000.
All offenses under the ordinance will be treated as cognizable, non-bailable, and non-compoundable, all trials to be conducted by Courts of Session within 90 days. The legislative intent behind this ordinance is to modernize child protection laws in Punjab, eliminate gender-based disparities in minimum marriage age, and enhance legal safeguards against exploitation and abuse.
The governor’s decision represents a bold step towards equality and the betterment of society in Punjab.