Concern over govt move to reduce minimum age for marriage

The Citizen's Initiatives on CEDAW, Bangladesh (CIC-BD) has expressed concern over the government's move to reduce minimum age for marriage in the draft early marriage prevention act 2014 saying it would be conflicting to national and international acts and policies.

A statement issued by the CIC-BD Sunday said in the socio-economic, health, population contexts, reducing the minimum age for marriage to 16 years for girls and 18 years for boys as proposed in the cabinet meeting last week while approving the draft act in principle is not acceptable.

 "It would be a suicidal decision," the statement said urging the government to refrain from taking such a decision.

It also said boys and girls below 18 years are considered children in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Children and Bangladesh Children Act and it would damage the government successes in achieving millennium development goals (MDGs) 2, 3, 4 and 5.

The CIC-BD, a platform of 47 non-government, human rights and other like-minded organisations, had earlier given opinion in favour of retaining minimum age at the present 21 years for boys and 18 years for girls in the light of socio-economic realities while sharing views with the government including the ministry of women and children affairs.

The last week's cabinet meeting directed all concerned including ministries of law and women and children affairs to consider reduction of minimum marriage age to 16 years in the case of girls and 18 in the case of boys.

smunima@yahoo.com