ISLAMABAD – The government should take stringent measures to stop violence against girl children who are forcefully married at an early age and are involved in child labor in the home based industry, said MNA Dr Attiya Anayatullah and member of Human Rights Standing Committee of the parliament.Speaking to participants of a briefing held by ActionAid, Blue Vein and Girls Not Brides here Thursday to mark the International Girl Child Day, Dr Attiya said that the Women Parliamentary Caucus has introduced three different bills on the issues of women and children which include ‘Domestic Violence Bill’, Child Marriage Restraint Act(revised) and Child Rights Charter but the progress on the passage of those bills was slow which needed to be paced up so that helpless women, girls and children start exercising their rights to live a dignified life.While condemning the terrorist’s attack on Malala Yousafzai, Dr. Attiya said that the culprit should be brought to justice and the society should widely condemn such inhuman and un-Islamic act of terrorism. She said the Council of Islamic Ideology should play a proactive role in this regard by issuing decrees against those who commit such atrocities.Nasreen Azhar, a social activist and member Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, said that early marriage was such a big problem evil that it darkened the future of more than 37 per cent girl children of Pakistan who have forcefully been married at any early age denying them right to education. Early marriage causes severe physical and emotional challenges for innocent girls who were married at early age. She said that it was the right of the girl to be married at same age, which was defined for boys whereas in practice girls are married even before they reach the legally defined age of 16. ‘We demand that girls should also be married only once they reach age of 18’, she said.On the occasion, Programme Manager ActionAid Uzma Tahir, said, “child marriage practice still rife in Pakistan despite being illegal. It is modern day slavery. Child brides drop out of school and are rarely allowed to work. Often they become victims of domestic violence. They lose their childhood completely. And with their bodies too young for child bearing, pregnancy results in serious health risks for both mother and child. Forcing children, especially girls, into early marriages can be physically and emotionally harmful. It violates their rights to personal freedom and growth.” With a strong belief that this day will raise awareness about these life-hindering obstacles, and will proactively breakdown those obstacles locally and globally Blue Veins, Action Aid Pakistan, who are members of the End Violence Against Women & Girls Alliance & Members of the Girls Not Brides (Global Alliance to End Child Marriages) organized a “Doll Protest” followed by a token rally and Press conference at Islamabad Press Club.