Two Pakistani high courts upheld child marriages of girls on the grounds they had reached puberty, a UN committee found.
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In concluding observations adopted 30 January 2026 after reviewing Pakistan, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child said it was 'deeply concerned' about recent rulings by the Lahore High Court and the Islamabad High Court that validated marriages of 15-year-old girls on the basis of puberty, even though some provinces and territories have adopted laws raising the marriage age to 18. The committee also found child marriage continues to affect large numbers of girls and remains legally authorized in some parts of the country. It urged Pakistan to run awareness campaigns aimed at households, local authorities, religious leaders, judges and prosecutors, set up protection schemes for victims who complain, and ensure child-marriage cases are promptly reported, investigated and prosecuted.
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