The previous bill planned to lower the minimum age of marriage for girls to 16 years. After the protest of the world associations against “Child Marriage”, the government gives up. The minimum age remains 18 but in fact the marriage of girls is permit “at any age”: just a “special circumstance” to grip and an accommodating judge needed…
The government on Bangladesh on Thursday 24/11 approved a law to fix the legal age for marrying for men and women. The age for men was fixed at 21 and for women 18.
But, attention, the law will provide for marriage of minor girls in “special circumstances”, after they secure consent from tribunal and parents. Worthless to point out both are not difficult to obtain.
The draft of ‘Prohibition of Child Marriage Act – 2016’ received the final approval at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The name of the draft, apparently threatening, seems instead to conceal the sordid truth of their intent.
Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam later told reporters that the age limits, previously fixed, have been retained. “But in special situations, for the best interest of a minor girl, she can be married with consent of tribunal and her parents.”
It would be interesting to see what could be “the best interest of the minor girl” such as to allow her “child marriage”. Furthermore the law does not specify an age limit for these “special circumstances”.
Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam explains: “For example, if there is an unmarried mother, who has a child… if there is a case like that… then this provision will provide protection (!!!). There can be a lot of situations that lead to marriages like this. This process is aimed at legalizing this kind of child marriage,” said the cabinet secretary.
He said there was no set definition for the “special provision”.
“In our county they get pregnant after running away at age 10 and 11. There are these problems, so this is the solution.”
Apparently in the minds of some, marrying the rapist husband is a “solution”.
Excerpt from “Special provision”:
Whatever is said in the other parts of this act, if a minor girl, in some special circumstances, is married for her best interest with consent from tribunal and her parents, then it will not be considered a crime under this law.
Source: BD News24
What a material of un-ambiguity and preserveness of valuable experience on the topic of unexpected feelings.