Pakistani Father Dies by Suicide to Protest Forced Marriage of 12-Year-Old Daughter

Adil, a father of six, took his life after a tribal council ordered his daughter to be married off to resolve a clan dispute.

Adil, a father in Pakistan, consumed poison after refusing a tribal council's decision to marry off his 12-year-old daughter as part of a conflict resolution settlement.
The jirga, a tribal council in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, ruled that Adil's daughter be given in marriage to a rival clan member due to an alleged sexual assault involving Adil's nephew.
Adil had already paid a financial penalty of 2,000 euros but was also held responsible because the incident occurred in his home, prompting the jirga's additional ruling.
Pakistani law prohibits using women or girls as compensation in conflict resolutions, but enforcement remains weak in regions dominated by tribal customs.
Three participants of the jirga have been arrested, highlighting ongoing struggles between traditional practices and legal protections in the country.