On 17th December 2024, the CFHR launched “Kaantay na Lagao”, a campaign in collaboration with Fahad Hussayn and Mashion, featuring The Unwearable Jewellery Line.
The collection symbolizes thorns (kaantay) in bridal jewelry to reflect the challenges endured by women in marriage when key clauses of their nikahnama are crossed out or left blank.
This year, our campaign aims to highlight the importance of the rights contained within nikahnama, as well as, call out socio-cultural practices that have for decades forbid brides from negotiating their marriage rights and normalized the removal of women’s marriage rights from the nikahnama.
The nikahnama is not just a document that one signs to get married; it is a legal safeguard for a woman’s rights within her marriage and the practice of crossing out or leaving blank clauses such as the special conditions (Clause 17), delegated right to divorce (Clause 18), and maintenance (Clause 20) deprives women of their rights, undermining the nikahnama’s intended role and increasing susceptibility of women to unequal power dynamics in the marriage as a result.
The Diagnostic Study of Nikkahnamas in Punjab (2023) found that of the nikahnamas reviewed, 89% of brides did not have both their DRD & monthly maintenance; 8% had only the right to maintenance but not the DRD; 2% had the DRD but not the monthly maintenance; and only 1% had both rights.
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