The Alliance Française de Karachi has opened “The Too-Young Monsoon Brides”, a documentary photography exhibition on climate change and child marriage.
The exhibition opened at Avari Towers. The event attracted guests from Karachi’s diplomatic, cultural and academic communities.
French photographer Isabeau de Rouffignac created the exhibition. The Alliance Française presented it in partnership with Avari and with support from the Embassy of France in Pakistan.
The exhibition features 30 portraits. Each portrait includes a short account from the young woman photographed.
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The exhibition will move to the Alliance Française de Karachi after its opening at Avari Towers. It will remain on display from October 1 to October 11, 2026.
Photographer Highlights Project’s Origins
The opening featured a short video by de Rouffignac. She discussed the project and her year of work in Sindh and Punjab.
De Rouffignac trained as a graphic designer. She later developed a documentary photography practice focused on overlooked communities and stories.
“Through photography, I try to draw attention to people, to places, to stories that are often overlooked,” she said.
She said this approach brought her to Pakistan. Her work focused on communities affected by climate change in Sindh and Punjab.
Climate Change and Child Marriage
The exhibition examines the link between climate disasters and existing social pressures.
De Rouffignac said climate disasters do not directly cause child marriage. However, they can worsen existing economic and social problems.
The 2022 floods affected millions of people across Pakistan. Many families in Sindh lost land, homes and sources of income.
For some families, marrying off a daughter became a way to reduce financial pressure. Some also viewed marriage as a way to secure their daughter’s future.
Child Marriage Remains a Global Issue
The issue extends beyond Sindh and Pakistan.
UNICEF estimates that 650 million women and girls alive today were married before turning 18. The agency estimates that 12 million girls become child brides every year.
South Asia accounts for a large share of the global total. The region has an estimated 285 million child brides.
National data show that 18 per cent of girls in Pakistan marry before 18. Around 4 per cent marry before turning 15.
Government survey data put the rate in Sindh at nearly 22 per cent before the age of 18.
Portraits Put Young Women at the Centre
De Rouffignac travelled across Pakistan in early 2025. She met families and photographed their daughters.
The portraits form the centrepiece of the exhibition. Each photograph began with a personal meeting.
The photographer invited each girl to select her own clothes for the portrait.
She wanted the sessions to focus on the young women themselves. She also wanted them to feel comfortable and confident.
The exhibition presents 30 photographs alongside personal accounts.
De Rouffignac said she wanted to give a human face to an issue often reduced to statistics.
She also wanted the young women to tell their own stories.
Exhibition Draws Diplomatic and Cultural Guests
Guests viewed the full collection before attending remarks from the exhibition’s partners.
Representatives of the Embassy of France in Pakistan also attended the opening.
The exhibition is open to the public daily at its current venue.
Alliance Française de Karachi is the official French cultural institute in the city. It is part of a global network of more than 850 institutes.
Based in Clifton, the institute offers French language courses and DELF and DALF certification.
It also provides corporate training and hosts cultural programmes. These include exhibitions, film screenings and workshops.
The programmes connect Karachi audiences with French and wider Francophone culture.
