Arranged Marriages in Pakistan

Since birth, every person has their own rights to choose what kind of life they going to live. This also applies to the rights choosing the partner for life. However, there are women around the world, who are forced to get married by the system, that was established from the ancient times. Arranged marriages are the common thing in Pakistan. This situation violates the 5th SDG about Gender equality. Such families are often are driven by harmful traditions in Pakistan, where under patriarchal society marriages are family’ honor and poverty, which force families to reduce economic burden. Arranged marriages are likely to cause domestic violence and abuse. This also is likely to result unwanted marriages and abortions.

In Pakistan marriages, that are arranged by parents are more frequent, than love marriages.  In this relationship couples are obligate to keep the honor of the family and that is the reason why only parents have rights to choose a partner. Families in this relationship have better financial support from parents. Bride and groom do not need to fear financial disaster. However, if couple would divorce, this situation might be considered as a rebellion. It is the biggest taboo in Pakistan. Women and man will not be the part of the family starting from that point. If young people do get married, wives are expected to be calm, obedient, and decent in the situation where they need to face domestic abuse, despite the disinterest towards the partner. Also, in the culture of Pakistan there are traditions to give the girl away as early as possible, since they will not expect a large dowry from her. That is why child marriages around 14-18 are also a common thing.

According to the Anadolu Agency: “In the first eight months of 2018, 346 people, mostly women, committed suicide in Malakand Division, a tourist spot located in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, local broadcaster Geo News reported.” (Islamuddin, 2018). Arranged marriages are one of the causes of that. However, such an important problem is not resolved over time. Struggling due to constant anxiety and depression makes people end their lives. Under such expectations from the closest people – family, couples need to live the life how elderly wants. That is why women commit suicide. There are lots of incidents that remain a secret from the press. Also, it is relevant to mention, that some people commit murder under societal pressure and kill their partners or family and it works in both ways. From the national point of view, arranged marriages increase the level of crime in the country. Domestic abuse, murders, violations should not be ignored by the government because might effect on the safety of civilians. Globally, this kind of relationship result in stigma of pregnancy outside the marriage, increase the level of poverty not only in Pakistan, but also in another Asian countries. This is not just Pakistan’s problem, because cases like this can be found in Afghanistan, China, Bangladesh, and others.

To summarize, Pakistan needs to solve a global issue - arranged marriages. Caused by harmful traditions people there are ending their life under pressure from their families to escape or avoid marriages. In other cases, people develop mental health issues. To change this whole situation, it is essential create an atmosphere where everyone can talk about their suicidal thoughts. It is necessary to increase the number of psychotherapy therapists and offer more of their services. According to the Dawn.website.com, “Small pool of skilled doctors is distributed largely in urban areas. The dearth of psychiatrists and their inaccessibility, especially in far-flung rural areas, is one of the many reasons people don’t opt for any professional help” (Hassan, 2019). This measure is likely to decrease the suicide rate in Pakistan. Also, it is valuable to tighten domestic violence law. Tighter laws will lead to a new improvement in this situation and help to achieve decrease in level of crimes.

References

Hassan T. (2019, May 12) WHY ARE MORE PAKISTANIS COMMITING SUICIDE? DAWN. dawn.com/news/1481056/why-are-more-pakistanis-committing-suicide

Hassan Z., F. (2019, April 16) The concept of arranged marriages in Pakistan. Desibletz.com. desiblitz.com/content/the-concept-of-arranged-marriages-in-pakistan#:~:text=In%20Pakistan%2C%20an%20arranged%20marriage,considered%20an%20act%20of%20rebellion.

Islamuddin S. (2018, October 2) Suicides rising among women in northern Pakistan. Anadolu Agency. aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/suicides-rising-among-women-in-northern-pakistan/1270469

Naveed S, Qadir T, Afzaal T, et al. (September 08, 2017) Suicide and Its Legal Implications in Pakistan: A Literature Review . Cureus 9(9): e1665. cureus.com/articles/8641-suicide-and-its-legal-implications-in-pakistan-a-literature-review

Pridmore S., & Walter G. (2013) Suicide and forced marriage. Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences.20(2),47-51. researchgate.net/publication/256190073_Suicide_and_Forced_Marriage

Rehman A., & Haque J. (n.d.) Pakistan silent suicide problem. DAWN. dawn.com/news/1494208