ASK concerned over special provision

Human rights organisation Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) yesterday expressed concern over the law ministry's consent to the proposed Child Marriage Restrain Act-2014 by keeping the special provision which conditionally allows marriage of girls below the age of 18 and above 16 years.

In a press statement, ASK noted that the provision would increase the risk of misuse of the clause and would not help bring out women from under the male dominance and be self-dependent.

The proposed act when sent to the ministry last year for vetting from the women and children affairs ministry, proposed minimum legal marriageable age for women to be 18 and for men 21. But it also mentioned a provision which under special circumstances allows marriage of 16-year-old girls with men aged 21 or above with permission of parents or courts. The draft of the proposed act was approved at a cabinet meeting on September 15, 2014 and the law ministry was asked to give its opinion if the minimum marriageable age for females could be reduced from 18 to 16 , observed ASK.

Urging the government to refrain from enacting contradictory laws, the human rights body said reducing the minimum age of marriage of girls to 16 will increase child marriage and create health hazards.