Balochistan Passes Child Marriages Restraint Bill 2025: Minimum Marriage Age Set at 18, Violators Face Imprisonment and Fines

**Quetta:** The **Balochistan Assembly** has approved the **Child Marriages Restraint Bill 2025**, introducing a **strict legal framework** to prevent underage, forced, and traditional marriages across the province.

Under the new law, the **minimum legal age for marriage is set at 18 years**. Anyone involved in marrying, arranging, or facilitating underage marriages—including parents, guardians, relatives, or tribal/community members—can face **3 months to 3 years of imprisonment and heavy fines**. Marriage registrars are now **mandated to verify the age** of both bride and groom before conducting a wedding.

To enforce the law, the government has established **special Child Protection Units** with emergency intervention powers to prevent underage marriages effectively. The bill emphasizes that child marriages, particularly of girls, adversely impact **education, health, mental development, and basic human rights**, and aims to eliminate child marriages driven by **tribal or social pressures**, ensuring a **safer environment and better future** for children.

Human rights experts and social organizations have welcomed the legislation, calling it a **historic step toward protecting children’s rights** in Balochistan.