Many girls are striving hard for basic rights in the area that from 2007 to 2009 was under the control of the Pakistani Taliban. Fourteen year old Hadiqa Bashir is trying to spread awareness among other girls and their parents in the local neghbourhood about child marriage and how beneficial it is for their daughters to complete their education. She said that she tried to speak out on the issue after her seven year old sister was about to be married off — her speaking out postponed that marriage.
Hadiqa is optimistic that she can save at least some girls in her area from childhood marriages.
It should be noted that the fathers wed their daughters away as brides in order to resolve a dispute or to keep the money in the family.
In an interview to a foreign news channel, Bashir said that one of her classmates tied the knot when she was in the sixth grade. She added that they were all happy but later saw how she suffered.
Hadiqa belongs to a family of social activists. Her family is supportive of Hadiqa but she is well aware that it will be a tough task for her.
