President signs Child Marriage Restraint Bill despite ‘special provision’ criticism

President Md Abdul Hamid has signed the Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2017 passed in Parliament with a provision to allow such marriages in 'special circumstances’.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 11 March 2017, 02:24 PM
Updated : 11 March 2017, 02:24 PM

In the new law, marriageable age for women is 18, but they would be allowed to get married below that age in 'exceptional circumstances'. The rights groups are saying that ‘special provision’ will be abused and child marriage will go up.

The president also signed two other bills on Saturday, Parliament Secretariat has said in a statement.

With the president’s initial, the Child Marriage Restraint Bill has become law now. The president did not pay heed to the request of the rights groups not to sign it as what they said would give rise to under-aged marriage in the country.

The law will be in effect once the government gazettes it.

Parliament passed the bill on Feb 27, limiting the minimum age for women to marry at 18 and men at 21, amid criticism by rights groups worried over possibilities of the rise in the rate of child marriage for the special provision.

The 'special circumstances' and the minimum age applicable under the 'special provision' have not been specified in the law. 

State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroz Chumki had earlier said the explanation of the ‘special circumstances’ would be cleared in by-laws of the act to be passed on Sunday. The confusion over the law would go away then, she claimed.

Officials said that only the court would have the discretion to apply ‘special provision’ reducing the chance of misusing the provision.

The two other bills signed by the president on Saturday are Battalion Ansar (Amendment) Bill, 2017 and Bangladesh Unnayan Gobeshona Council Bill, 2017.