EP asks to close ‘loopholes’ in Child Marriage Restraint Act 2017
The members of European Parliament (MEPs) have condemned newly adopted Child Marriage Restraint Act of Bangladesh.
In a press statement on Thursday, the MEPs voiced concern that the child marriage act has loopholes providing for “legal authorisation for child marriage” in Bangladesh. The country has already the highest rate of child marriage in Asia.
New law must outlaw all marriages involving children, the MEPs added.
They also said, “The act allows exceptions to the minimum age of marriage of 18 for women and 21 for men to be made in “the best interests” of the adolescent in “special cases” but fails to lay down criteria or to make the adolescent’s consent mandatory.
The MEPs urged the Bangladesh government to commit to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, including ensuring gender equality and women’s rights.
Source: The Daily Star