Rights Not Roses

Ending childhood early, and forced marriage in Pakistan: How are community leaders addressing the root causes of the issue? One day, 13-year-old Zarmina came home from school and received surprising news: her wedding to a 28-year-old man was scheduled for the very next day. Once she was married, Zarmina was expected to do all the household chores. Her husband beat her violently, and the slightest mistake meant being starved for a week or more. In the Fundamental Pakistan Episode, "Rights Not Roses," we hear directly from Zarmina, her family, and a network of community activists fighting to end the scourge of early and forced marriage in Pakistan, where 21% of girls are married before the age of 18. These include Rukhshana Naz, a human rights attorney and long-time gender rights leader who is fighting in Pakistan's courts to extricate girls like Zarmina from early and forced marriages, and whose passionate advocate for ending child marriage is formed by her family's own experiences with the issue.