Police in Larkana stop forced marriage of 13-year-old girl

LARKANA: Police in Larkana intervened to stop the forced marriage of a 13-year-old girl to her 16-year-old cousin in Khero Dero village on Friday, according to a statement issued by Child Protection Officer Larkana Gada Hussain Abbasi.

The statement said the operation was carried out by the Women and Child Protection Cell (WCPC), along with the station house officer of Women Police Station Larkana and the SHO of Lashari Police Station. The officials reached the village after being alerted by Naween Mangi, who runs the Ali Hasan Mangi Memorial Trust in Upper Sindh.

Mangi said she first tried to prevent the marriage through community intervention after learning that the girl was being forcibly married off. When those efforts failed, she contacted district police. According to the WCPC statement, the groom and his family fled when police arrived at the scene.

Police said the girl and her parents were taken to Women Police Station Larkana to ensure her safety. Her parents were counselled about the legal age of marriage, and officials also obtained a written surety from them that they would not marry their daughter until she turns 18.

Mangi praised the police response and told Dawn: "Police was proactive and helpful."

The police statement said the girl expressed willingness to remain with her parents and was subsequently handed over to them. It added that if she had refused to stay with her family, the matter would have been taken to court and she would have been sent to a Darul Amaan.

Mangi told Dawn she would not have felt comfortable with the teenager being sent to a Darul Amaan because of concerns about living conditions in such facilities. She said her organisation was monitoring the girl and her family closely due to concerns for the girl's safety, adding that police had not provided protection to the girl but had remained in contact with her.

According to Mangi, the groom’s family has publicly claimed that the two teenagers are married and that the girl is missing. She said the girl’s parents had issued a video statement confirming that their daughter is at home and is not missing.

Mangi also said that despite the counselling and written assurance obtained from the parents, the possibility of another attempt at underage marriage remains because the practice is deeply rooted in society. She added that her organisation was watching the family closely and was very confident that the girl’s rights would be protected.