Minimum marriage age of girls : Sanity must prevail

Human Rights Watch (HRW), a New York-based global rights body, has urged the Bangladesh government to stop its move to lower marriage age of girls. But it is not this urging by an external organization which has inspired this writing. As it is, this move to lower the minimum marriage age of girls is opposed nationally by almost a consensus among nearly all think tanks and right groups in Bangladesh.
Child marriage has been illegal in Bangladesh since 1929 and the minimum age of marriage has been set at 18 for women and 21 for men since the 1980s. Despite that, Bangladesh has the fourth-highest rate in the world of child marriage before age 18, after Niger, the Central African Republic, and Chad. Sixty-five per cent of girls in Bangladesh marry before age 18. The government wants to control the population boom in the country. Well, but at the same time if girls are married off at age 16, will it not contribute to reckless population growth in the country? It is known to all that females in their teens are most fertile to produce children. Thus, are not the policies conflicting?
A girl may attain puberty even at age 12 or 13. This gives her physical ability to procreate. But procreation is not all.  Physical, mental and intellectual maturity are needed. If a physically and mentally immature girl is given in marriage, what will she understand about a planned family life? About rearing her children properly for making them worthy citizens of the country?  Will not all her thoughts centre around biological urge alone up to a certain stage of life? This kind of marriage will invite a lot of problems instead of happiness.  Nearly half of the total population of Bangladesh is women. Early marriage stops education of girls. It exposes girls to repeated child-bearing, malnutrition and broken health. It nips in the bud a girl’s dream of becoming self-reliant through proper education in the male-dominated society.
Thus, it is high time that government should adopt a rational policy in this regard. It was known last that as a result of intense criticisms, the relevant ministry was considering backing away from its earlier decision to lower the minimum age of marriage for girls to 16 years. Reportedly, it may now go for some window dressing and retain the present minimum age of 18 while saying at the same time that girls can be married at 16 provided they get parental consent. So, it has become like a case of giving with one hand and taking away with another. We insist that government should address this issue with the seriousness it deserves. Bangladesh is already a too overpopulated country and freestyle breeding must be absolutely checked. To this end not only keeping the present minimum age law, we suggest that the minimum marriage age of girls should be moved up to at least 20 years.

Minimum marriage age of girls : Sanity must prevail

Human Rights Watch (HRW), a New York-based global rights body, has urged the Bangladesh government to stop its move to lower marriage age of girls. But it is not this urging by an external organization which has inspired this writing. As it is, this move to lower the minimum marriage age of girls is opposed nationally by almost a consensus among nearly all think tanks and right groups in Bangladesh. Child marriage has been illegal in Bangladesh since 1929 and the minimum age of marriage has been set at 18 for women and 21 for men since the 1980s. Despite that, Bangladesh has the fourth-highest rate in the world of child marriage before age 18, after Niger, the Central African Republic, and Chad. Sixty-five per cent of girls in Bangladesh marry before age 18. The government wants to control the population boom in the country. Well, but at the same time if girls are married off at age 16, will it not contribute to reckless population growth in the country? It is known to all that females in their teens are most fertile to produce children. Thus, are not the policies conflicting? A girl may attain puberty even at age 12 or 13. This gives her physical ability to procreate. But procreation is not all. Physical, mental and intellectual maturity are needed. If a physically and mentally immature girl is given in marriage, what will she understand about a planned family life? About rearing her children properly for making them worthy citizens of the country? Will not all her thoughts centre around biological urge alone up to a certain stage of life? This kind of marriage will invite a lot of problems instead of happiness. Nearly half of the total population of Bangladesh is women. Early marriage stops education of girls. It exposes girls to repeated child-bearing, malnutrition and broken health. It nips in the bud a girls dream of becoming self-reliant through proper education in the male-dominated society. Thus, it is high time that government should adopt a rational policy in this regard. It was known last that as a result of intense criticisms, the relevant ministry was considering backing away from its earlier decision to lower the minimum age of marriage for girls to 16 years. Reportedly, it may now go for some window dressing and retain the present minimum age of 18 while saying at the same time that girls can be married at 16 provided they get parental consent. So, it has become like a case of giving with one hand and taking away with another. We insist that government should address this issue with the seriousness it deserves. Bangladesh is already a too overpopulated country and freestyle breeding must be absolutely checked. To this end not only keeping the present minimum age law, we suggest that the minimum marriage age of girls should be moved up to at least 20 years.