The UN Human Rights Committee has again urged Bangladesh to set the minimum age of marriage for girls at 18 without any exceptions.
It also called for amending the related law passed in parliament last month with the provision for underage marriage in “exceptional cases” without setting a minimum age.
“The State party should amend the Child Marriage Restraint Bill to maintain the legal minimum age of marriage for girls at 18 years, in accordance with international norms, without any exceptions,” the Human Rights Committee said Tuesday in its draft observations on the initial report of Bangladesh under ICCPR.
The committee observed that Bangladesh has one of the highest rates of early marriage in the world where 32% girls are married before they turn 15 and 66% girls before the age of 18.
Bangladesh contested the claim on Monday citing a Unicef report that puts the rate of child marriage under 15 at 18% and marriage under the age of 18 at 52%.
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The committee noted efforts by Bangladesh to curb early marriage by approving the Child Marriage Restraint Bill but said it remained concerned that marriage below the age of 18 would be permitted in “special circumstances.”
Rights campaigners say the loophole – special circumstances – could see victims forced to marry rapists but the government says the court will assess the applications to prevent abuse.
Campaigners say they fear the provision would worsen the problem of early marriage in Bangladesh.
Earlier this month, rights activists in Dhaka said they would move the court against the child marriage law.
The UN Committee also voiced concerns at the high rate of adolescent pregnancy connected to early marriage and resulting in maternal mortality.
Thursday, June 04, 2026
