Keep girl’s marriage age strictly at 18

Samajik Protirodh Committee, a platform of 68 women human rights and development organisations on Wednesday demanded the marriage age for girls is kept at 18 and the child marriage restraint bill 2014 is changed in this regard.
The committee, at a press conference on Wednesday in Dhaka, said the law ministry recently examined and returned the draft of the bill to the women and children affairs ministry.
They said the draft of the proposed Child Marriage Restraint Bill-2014 has a special provision stipulating that under special circumstances marriage of 16-year-old girls to men above 21 years, with permission of parents or courts, would not be considered as `child marriage’.
Reacting to the law ministry’s consent to the provision, Samajik Protirodh Committee said at the press conference that the addition of such a provision to the law would be contradictory to the UN Convention on the Rights of Child which recognized everyone less than 18 years as children.
They reminded the government that Bangladesh is a member and signatory to the convention.
The existence of the provision would have negative impact on girl’s health, empowerment, decision-making power and economic empowerment. It also would increase the risk of violence against women and unsafe pregnancy, they observed.
The Committee said the new clause will allow the continuation of child marriage that’s why it should be removed from the draft.
Chaired by president of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad Ayesha Khanam, the press conference was attended, among others, by former adviser to the caretaker government Rasheda K Choudhury, president of Bangladesh Nari Sangbadik Kendra Nasimun Ara Haque, deputy director of Ain o Salish Kendra Rowshan Jahan Parveen, executive director of Steps Towards Development Ranjan Karmakar, president of Women for Women Zakia K Hasan,  executive director of Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association Salma Ali, executive director of Manusher Jonno Foundation Shahin Anam and executive director of Karmojibi Nari Rokeya Rafik.

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