A bill was placed in parliament last night incorporating strict punitive actions against marriage between boys and girls below 21 and 18. However, the proposed law has a provision for “special circumstances” under which girls below the age could tie the knot.
State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroze Chumki placed the bill titled “Balya Bibaha Nirodh Ain, 2016” (Child Marriage Restraint Act-2016), which was sent to the parliamentary standing committee on the ministry for scrutiny.
The committee was asked to submit its report within 30 days.
According to the draft, a boy below 21 and a girl below 18 would be considered under-aged and would be ineligible to get married and such marriages would be treated as child marriage.
The bill, however, incorporated a provision that allows girls under 18 to get married if the marriage was held in her best interest with prior permission of a court, which would consider the special circumstances, and the consent of the parents.
Women and rights bodies have been demanding cancellation of the “special provision” since the cabinet approved the draft of the proposed law on November 24.
The government had faced a wave of criticism when it, more than two years ago, planned to lower the minimum age for girls to get married to 16 from 18. It had wanted to have the provision in the law that would allow a 16-year-old girl to get married with her parents’ consent or a court’s consent obtained on justified grounds.
The government backtracked from that position but in the final draft left the scope for special cases.
The proposed law is expected to pass in the next session of parliament likely to begin in January.
Meher Afroze earlier said the government would elaborate the grounds for special cases in a policy to be formulated in line with the draft law in a month or two.
Source: The Daily Star
