Families in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan are still struggling to recover years after devastating floods destroyed homes, farmland and livelihoods across the region. But beyond the visible damage left behind by the disaster, local activists and aid workers say another crisis has quietly grown inside flood-hit communities.
In districts such as Jaffarabad, Sohbatpur and Naseerabad, economic losses, displacement and growing poverty have pushed some families toward harmful coping mechanisms, including child marriage. Community workers say girls in poor rural households are increasingly vulnerable when disasters interrupt education, destroy incomes and force families into debt.
In one village in Jaffarabad district, a 14-year-old girl stopped attending school after floodwater destroyed her family’s mud house and washed away their stored wheat and livestock. Her father, who worked as a daily wage laborer, struggled to earn enough money to feed the family after months of displacement. The family later moved to a roadside settlement made from plastic sheets and damaged cloth where dozens of flood survivors were living in difficult conditions.
According to a local social worker who met the family, the parents eventually decided to marry the girl to a relative because they believed they could no longer support her education or daily expenses. The social worker said the family felt trapped by poverty and uncertainty after losing nearly everything during the floods.
Pakistan contributes less than one percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet it remains among the countries most vulnerable to climate disasters. The 2022 floods affected nearly 33 million people across the country and damaged homes, schools, roads and agricultural land on a massive scale. Balochistan was among the hardest-hit provinces, where entire villages in districts like Jaffarabad and Sohbatpur remained underwater for weeks.
In many rural areas of southern Balochistan, farming, livestock and daily wage labor are the main sources of income. When the floods destroyed crops and killed animals, thousands of families lost their livelihoods overnight. Many borrowed money to survive, while others sold remaining livestock or personal belongings to buy food and medicines.
Women’s rights activists working in Naseerabad division say financial pressure after the floods increased the number of early marriage arrangements in vulnerable communities. Some families viewed marriage as a way to reduce household expenses, while others believed daughters would be safer in marriage than living in temporary camps or damaged settlements where privacy and security remained major concerns.
A humanitarian worker who visited camps near Naseerabad said many displaced families spent months living under extreme heat without proper sanitation, clean water or secure shelter. She said parents were constantly worried about the safety of daughters in overcrowded settlements and feared harassment or insecurity.
Rights groups warn that child marriage often pushes girls into adulthood long before they are emotionally or physically prepared. Many leave education permanently after marriage, while early pregnancies increase health risks for young mothers and babies, especially in areas where healthcare facilities are already weak.
A health worker in Jaffarabad said she noticed an increase in teenage pregnancies after the floods. She said many young girls suddenly became wives and mothers while still struggling to understand their own lives after the trauma of displacement and disaster.
The floods also badly disrupted education in Balochistan. Thousands of schools across Pakistan were damaged during the disaster, while many buildings were used as temporary shelters for displaced families. Teachers in flood-hit districts say many girls never returned to classrooms because families could no longer afford transport, uniforms or books.
A teacher from Sohbatpur said that once girls remain out of school for long periods, many parents begin viewing marriage as the only practical future for them. He said poverty and social pressure often combine to push families toward decisions they may not have considered before the disaster.
Globally, humanitarian organizations have increasingly warned about the connection between climate disasters and child marriage. UNICEF says displacement, hunger and economic instability place girls at greater risk because struggling families may see marriage as a survival strategy during crises.
In Balochistan, these risks are worsened by existing inequalities. Female literacy rates in many rural districts remain among the lowest in Pakistan, while access to schools, healthcare and employment opportunities for women is already limited. Climate disasters deepen those problems further by pushing poor communities deeper into insecurity.
Scientists say climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events across South Asia. Pakistan experienced rainfall levels far above normal during the 2022 monsoon season, causing widespread flooding across several provinces. But poor communities in Balochistan had little infrastructure to survive such destruction.
Many villages lacked proper drainage systems, paved roads or disaster preparedness even before the floods. Recovery has also remained painfully slow, leaving families trapped between rebuilding homes, repaying debts and finding work in damaged local economies.
A farmer from Naseerabad said rebuilding life after the floods became harder than surviving the disaster itself. He explained that his family lost crops, animals and their mud house during the flooding and later struggled to buy seeds, repair shelter and repay borrowed money at the same time.
Local organizations say climate disasters are now reshaping social realities inside vulnerable communities. Girls are often the first to leave school when families face economic hardship, and many begin helping mothers with household work or caring for younger siblings while parents search for income.
A community volunteer in Sohbatpur recalled meeting a teenage girl who once hoped to become a teacher before the floods interrupted her education. The volunteer said the girl described how floodwater destroyed her books and forced the family into months of displacement before her marriage was eventually arranged.
Aid workers say the emotional and social consequences of disasters are often ignored because official recovery efforts mainly focus on damaged infrastructure and economic losses. But activists argue that protecting girls must also become part of climate recovery planning.
Humanitarian organizations say reopening schools quickly after disasters is critical because education remains one of the strongest protections against child marriage. Cash assistance for vulnerable families, safe shelters for displaced women and stronger child protection systems are also considered essential in flood-hit areas.
Some organizations working in Balochistan have started programs aimed at helping girls return to school and supporting families affected by the floods. However, local activists say the scale of poverty and displacement remains far greater than available support.
Climate experts warn that Pakistan is likely to face more extreme weather events in the future, including floods, droughts and heatwaves. For poor rural communities already struggling with poverty and displacement, each new disaster creates deeper social and economic risks.
In flood-hit villages across southern Balochistan, families continue rebuilding homes from mud and broken bricks while trying to recover financially. Children play near damaged fields and collapsed walls that still carry marks left behind by floodwater.
But inside many homes, difficult choices shaped by poverty, climate disasters and uncertainty continue every day. And in many of those choices, girls are carrying the heaviest burden.
