Canada cautions Bangladesh over plans to lower girls' marriage age

Canada has asserted that Bangladesh will “respect” the UN convention amid government plans to lower the legal age for marriage of girls.

“We hope that it’s going to be consistent with the convention on the child which the government has already signed which defined as child being 18,” Canadian High Commission in Dhaka Heather Cruden said on Thursday.

She made the comment at a reception marking the international day of girls at her official residence in Dhaka.

The comment came against the backdrop of the discussion at the government level of lowering the marriage age for girls to 16.

The government recently triggered a debate on the issue of lowering the age after the Cabinet decided to discuss it following a proposal from the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs.

State Minister for Health and Family Welfare Zahid Maleque later at a function said the government was considering it since the prime minister was facing pressure from the rural areas.

He argued that girls’ tendency to elope forced parents to marry them off early and that required the government to review the age of marriage.

Eighteen is the legal age of marriage until when a person is defined as child in Bangladesh.

The government also ratified the UN convention that defines a child as anyone below the age of 18.

The government’s steps drew flak as experts termed it a “very wrong step”.

The New York-based rights organisation Human Rights Watch (HRW) has also criticised the government for bringing the issue to the discussion table.

It said the proposed revision would go against Bangladesh's pledge to reduce child marriage among girls.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Mohammad Nasim later said his ministry would send a proposal to the Cabinet after discussing with all stakeholders.

The Canadian envoy said eradicating child marriage was their “priority”.

She said her government had pledged $20 million to the Unicef to work with six countries including Bangladesh to help stamp out child marriage.

Bangladesh, where the child marriage rate is very high, will get $3 million of the funds over the next two years, she said.

“I think it’s really important we respect the international convention that Bangladesh has already signed,” Cruden remarked.

In Bangladesh, 45 percent of the total population consists of children below the age of 18, of whom 47 percent are girls.

Bangladesh still has one of the 10 highest rates of child marriage by age 18 in the world.

“This has significant repercussions on the health and wellbeing of these girls and their children, and limits Bangladesh’s development and economic progress,” the high commissioner said.

She, however, appreciated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s commitment in the July London summit to eradicate child marriage.

An NGO ‘Rupantor’ presented a pot song at the event highlighting the harmful impacts of child as well as early forced marriage.