LAHORE  -  The Punjab Women Development De­partment (WDD) and UNICEF Paki­stan are set to collaborate on a crucial awareness campaign to combat child marriages in Punjab, coinciding with the “16 Days of Activism.” A UNICEF team, led by Adeel Jafferi, Communi­cation and SBC (social and behavior change) Specialist Child Protection, held a productive meeting with Sumai­ra Samad, Secretary of the Women De­velopment Department, to discuss the important endeavor here on Monday. The meeting, witnessed the participa­tion of Nabeela Javaid, Secretary of the Punjab Commission on The Status of Women (PCSW), and Hafiz Ubaidullah Zakria, Deputy Secretary of the Women Development Department. The WDD Secretary highlighted that the Women Development Department plays a piv­otal role in advocating for child protec­tion issues and fostering coordination with relevant stakeholders. Numerous collaborative sessions have been con­ducted with the Local Government De­partment to address child marriages, Nikah registration, polygamy, and re­lated matters in Punjab. It was noted during the meeting that the Christian Marriage Act does not specify a mini­mum age for marriage, highlighting the need for legal amendments. The secretary emphasized the importance of implementing the Child Marriage Act uniformly across Punjab, irrespec­tive of religious affiliations.