How do we determine under what circumstance a girl of say 12 or 14 or 16 should be married off? How do we ascertain that marriage is a better option for an underprivileged girl when case after case of abandonment by the husband has been a norm? These are the questions we should be asking the lawmakers while tackling the new loophole in the child marriage restraint act that will allow an underage girl to marry under special circumstances. The law states that a girl under 18 can marry under special circumstance with the consent of her parents and local court. This new legislation was approved through a voice vote on February 27, 2017 and allows exceptions to the minimum marriage age which has been set at 18 for women and 21 for men.A step backwards
The story of these brave youth and their admirable initiatives will all go askew if people start to avail this loophole to push forward their agendas and exploit this rule
Limana Solaiman Mridha
How do we determine under what circumstance a girl of say 12 or 14 or 16 should be married off? How do we ascertain that marriage is a better option for an underprivileged girl when case after case of abandonment by the husband has been a norm? These are the questions we should be asking the lawmakers while tackling the new loophole in the child marriage restraint act that will allow an underage girl to marry under special circumstances. The law states that a girl under 18 can marry under special circumstance with the consent of her parents and local court. This new legislation was approved through a voice vote on February 27, 2017 and allows exceptions to the minimum marriage age which has been set at 18 for women and 21 for men.
This law is being heavily criticised by Human Rights Watch and other activists group as the primary concern is that no minimum marriage age has been set for special circumstances, meaning children can be married off at the age of 14-15. According to activists, this is a major step backwards for Bangladesh that has one of the highest child marriage rates in the world with 52 percent married off by the time they are 18. According to the UNICEFs 2016 State of the Worlds Children report, of those statistics, 18 percent are married by the time they turn 15, one of the highest rates in the world. In 2000, this was as high as 65 percent that were married off before 18, and 38 percent were married before 15, according to Unicef. This statistics show that Bangladesh was in the right track in reducing the number of child marriages.
To its defence, the government has stated that this loophole needs to be there for saving pregnant teenagers from social exclusion. In an earlier report, Rebecca Momin, the head of the parliamentary committee on women and children said: Our rural society is very cruel and a pregnant vulnerable girl will be an outcast everywhere. Her parents will be humiliated at every turn. But human rights groups are adamant in their claim that this provision in the act will put in jeopardy the gains Bangladesh has made in cutting the levels of child marriage and improving the health of women and children.
Looking back at the progress we have made when it comes to child marriages, we have some commendable stories to tell. Take a look at this group of boys from Shaympur Match Colony; these are the boys who have successfully stopped two child marriages from taking place. This correspondent was amazed by their courage and ability to think straight in a crisis.
Mohammad Mehdi Hasan, a 17 year old ninth grader at the Pagla High School, Shyampur is one of the local heroes who shares his experience in a focus group discussion: Before we received training from Plan International and SEEP, we did not know about child marriage as it was a common occurrence. We saw it happen all our life. But now after we have seen what happens to girls who marry early and the training we have received, we have decided to take a stand against it.
Mohammad Shohel who is 18 and goes to 10th grade said: A girl from our area was getting married and people around was saying that the girl was too young. We started to ask questions and found out that the girl was 12 years of age and decided to call the police. When we called and gave our location and all the available information, the OC himself came and discovered that the girl indeed was underage. We spoke to the girl as the wedding was taking place with her consent and the OC also spoke to her and convinced her of the drawbacks. The girls parents were warned about the consequences but the bridegroom ran away from the ceremony.
The problem was with the mindset of the girl, she was the one who wanted to get married, adds Mohammad Arif, an 18 year old who also received training from NGOs such as Plan International and SEEP operating in the area. I would not let my sister marry before the age of 18 as it would bring about difficulties in her life. I am also aware of the health related consequences of early marriage and how an adolescent mother is unfit to care for her child. It is detrimental for both mother and child. This is one of the main reasons I would not agree to my sisters marriage before she is of age as stated in the law. Mohammad Arif took part in stopping two child marriages and called 1098, the child helpline to stop the marriages.
The boys were offered bribes in order to stand back but they refused as they wanted to resume their training and work with SEEP and Plan Internationals BIIAG (Because I am a Girl) project. Tania Khanam Yusufzai, a field representative of CIYBL (Children and Youth Initiative towards Better Life in Slum) informs this correspondent that NGOs such as SEEP, Plan and them, all work for the betterment of the settlement as a whole. As they are working in the same community, the youth and children group are the same and every participant has received trainings on life skills and other concerns successfully.
Although the notion of early marriage is prevalent among young girls in poverty ridden households, Yanur Akhter, a 15 year old student seems to have aspirations of her own. She informs that she has no intention of tying the knot before she is 18 or until she is done with her studies. She is the climate champion of Plan International and said that her family is against child marriage. After the BIIAG project commenced, child marriage in our area has substantially decreased. I think that from birth till the age of 18, a girl is a child and has no reason to get married no matter how underprivileged she or her family is. A lot of poor families are now holding back from marrying off their daughters early and I think it is for the greater good of the society as a whole.
Health risk is high among adolescent mothers and both the mother and child are often abandoned. This often leads to malnourishment and death and if it can be avoided through education and proper life skills, I think everyone should abstain from marrying early or wait till they are 18, says Akhter.
The story of these brave youth and their admirable initiatives will all go askew if people start to avail this loophole to push forward their agendas and exploit this rule.
The law needs to be revised with detailed information and clauses that will clearly state the minimum age in the least and other determinants of special circumstance to avoid exploitation of the provision.
The writer is a journalist,working with The Independent
