A recent study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found a signficant link between child marriage and domestic violence in Pakistan. The study also found that child brides were more likley to endure "controlling behavior" by their husbands. Nearly fifty percent of all marriages registered in Pakistan between 2012 and 2013 were child marriages, or marriages of minors under the age of 18. The study called for increased government intervention to prevent child marriage and raise awareness about the physical and emotional abuse suffered by many child brides. In Pakistan, the legal age of marriage for women is 16.
Compiled from: Khan, Carol, Pressing Concern: Study Proves child marriage linked to domestic violence, The Express Tribune (January 14, 2014).