& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Are our girls ready to be married at 16?

Shaheen Anam
THE cabinet has recently approved an amendment to the Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929. The amendment has replaced some archaic provisions that had made the law ineffective in curbing child marriage. We welcome these amendments that are the result of the women's movement for reform of the law and positive intention of the government.
However, these changes have come with a recommendation to lower the marriage age of girls from 18 to 16.
The rationale for the last recommendation is the following:
In UK, the definition for child is 16 years. Bangladesh is a tropical country and girls reach puberty early; now boys and girls are becoming precocious at an earlier age; parents cannot ensure security of girls till 18.
Coming from policy makers who have enacted some of the most progressive laws (Domestic Violence Act, Women’s Development Policy, etc.) it has indeed shocked us. It is difficult to understand how a government which has made national and international commitment towards the development and empowerment of girls and women could make such a recommendation.
However, we can analyse if girls are indeed ready to be married at 16.
Opinions might differ about the right age to be married. However, one thing is clear that of all the conditions necessary to be married the foremost one is that of consent. This is a right guaranteed in most international instruments that Bangladesh is party of and also in the Muslim religion. Marriage cannot take place without the full consent of both, the girl and the boy about to be married.
Now, the question is, what is the right age to give consent? The answer lies in the physical, psychological and mental maturity of our girls. Consent is often influenced by social, economic and traditional practices. Therefore, when in Muslim marriages the Qazi asks "do you agree,” the bride often says "yes," which is taken as consent. In fact, this is not consent but agreeing under pressure from parents and guardians who cite
reasons such as poverty, insecurity and social stigma as reasons to force girls to get married early.
Going back to the question whether girls are ready to be married at 16, it is important to understand the meaning of marriage and its full implication on the life of a young girl. Under Muslim personal law, marriage is a contract between two adults (18 for women and 21 for men as per law) solemnised by a religious person and officially registered. This contract gives certain rights such as the enjoyment of conjugal life, bearing and raising children, and living together in harmony. It also gives right to
divorce. There is no marriage document for Hindu marriage but they are bound by certain religious dictates.
However, in order to enjoy a happy conjugal life it is mandatory that both are mentally and physically prepared for it. According to medical science, adolescent age is from 13 to 19. This is the time when both boys and girls go through important physical and psychological changes. For girls, attaining puberty is an indication that biologically she is capable of pregnancy. This does not at all mean that she is ready for physical relations (often forced on her), and more importantly for bearing children. In a
recent article in daily newspaper Shamakal, Dr. Rowshan Ara Begum has written extensively about the ill effects of marriage before the age of 20. According to her, a girl is not physically or psychologically ready to be married before the age of 20. She is not prepared for physical relations with her husband, her body is not ready for child bearing, nor for adopting birth control methods. Pregnancy before the age of 20 increases risk of abortion, and delivery of underweight and malnourished babies leading to infant mortality in many cases. Other serious complications may arise, such as lowering of the uterus and disease such as
fistula. Her ill health results in rejection and violence by in laws and husband.
The psychological trauma is immense. At age 16 she is not prepared for sexual relations imposed on her by a much older husband. Cases of girls falling in love at 16 and running away with her lover are cited when defending lowering age of marriage. These are only exceptions; in most cases, especially in rural areas, girls are married to much older men against their will, forced into a physical relationship and having to adjust to the norms and customs of the in-laws' household. In her new home, she is supposed to act, behave and work as she is
ordered to, for which she is not prepared, neither physically nor psychologically.
Millions of girls fall victim to the false notion of security that parents think they are giving their girls when they marry them off at an early age. At that age, she cannot make anyone happy, neither her husband, nor her in-laws. Child-bearing takes a toll on her health and she cannot take proper care of her children. Gradually, she becomes incapable of fulfilling her obligations as a wife, daughter-in-law or mother. This results in friction in the family resulting in abandonment. She returns to her parents' home with a child, her future bleak, facing increased dependence and helplessness. Where is the security that parents seek for her?
Lowering the age for marriage also goes against the pro-women and girls policies of the government. It contradicts the health policy, which is focused on reducing child and maternal mortality and pregnancy related diseases, and ensuring sound reproductive health of women. It also goes against our education policy of assisting girls to complete secondary education, of giving them equal opportunity to demonstrate their talent and capability, thus making equal contribution to society.
We know, it is embarrassing that Bangladesh has been cited by Unicef as the country where maximum number of adolescent girls are victims of abuse. This is because of statistics that 65% of girls are victims of child marriage. The UN defines child till the age of 18, the same definition is used in the Children Act 2013. However, lowering the age of marriage to 16 will not solve any problem because the issue cannot only be about statistics. The issue is about the normal growth and development of our girls. It is about allowing them to flower to their full potential as healthy citizens, sound in body and mind capable of reaching adulthood with confidence and pride. It is about allowing them the joy of a carefree childhood, the excitement and discovery of adolescence and then their gradual transition into adulthood.
The writer is Executive Director, Manusher Jonno Foundation.