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For some reason, I always thought social indicators in Gilgit-Baltistan would be relatively higher than the other provinces, but I am doing research on child marriage in the region & realising how wrong I was. Indicators range from very good in some areas to terrible in others. 1
According to the PDHS, the median age at first marriage is lowest in GB as compared to the rest of Pakistan (18.8 years). In Skardu 27.3% of women reported being married before the age of 15 (while 0% report the same in Hunza), so there is quite a range between districts. 2
Unsurprisingly, the main factors determining prevalence of child marriage are economic status & education of girls. An alarming 40.2% of people in GB report being in the lowest economic quintile, which is one of the reasons why child marriage is so prevalent. 3
The only areas where the situation is relatively better are those where the Ismaili community dominates. While we know sexism still exists in places like Hunza, it's true that social indicators related to gender parity are much better. Some of the credit for this goes to AKRSP. 4
The fact that GB has not been given autonomy is one of the reasons for its poor social indicators. Local government seems to be non-existent, & local body elections have not been held since 2004. One can only hope that its new provincial status will improve the situation. 5
The contrast between districts in terms of gender norms was also especially stark on the question of domestic violence, with 7.4% of women in Hunza believing it was okay for husbands to beat their wives as contrasted with 80.27% in Diamer, 72.06% in Astore & 71.61% in Ghanche. 6
