The United Nations voiced its criticism Thursday over a controversial new law in Bangladesh that allows underage children to be married off by their parents.
The new rule keeps the minimum marriageable age for males at 21 and for females at 18 but relaxes the restriction for "special circumstances", including for girls who elope, are raped or bear children out of wedlock. Rights groups fear without an age limit in these cases, underage children could be married off, undermining Bangladesh's efforts to curb such unions and improve women's health.
However, marriages involving underage brides or grooms will not be considered an offence if they take place with the consent of the court and the guardians in “special contexts” serving the “best interest” of the underage female, the law says. The UN's child protection agency in Bangladesh said it "remains concerned" about the special provision, and its potential impact on children's well-being.
The ‘Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2017’ puts boys below 21 years of age and girls below 18 years in the underage category. Any marriage involving one or both parties below the legal age will be considered ‘child marriage’ Dhaka Tribune"Marrying as a child has a lifelong impact on a person's well-being. It limits opportunities and the chance to be a child," Unicef's representative in Bangladesh Edouard Beigbeder said in an email.
The Child Marriage Restraint Act, passed by parliament this week, replaced a law dating back to the British colonial period.
This dated legislation was largely ignored in poorer districts, where girls are married off in their early teenage years.
Beigbeder described the broader legislation, with its objective of preventing child marriage and providing sanction and remedies when cases did occur, as "a positive step forward".
Child marriages have dropped from two-thirds of the total to around half between 2006 and 2013, Unicef figures show.
Bangladesh has one of the highest child marriage rates in the world – the highest in Asia. Over half (52%) of Bangladeshi girls get married before 18 and almost one-fifth (18%) are married off before 15. Rights organisations warned this latest legal provision could unwind those gains, forcing new brides to drop out of school and work in conditions activists compare to child labour.
