Father jailed for trying to marry off 15-year-old daughter in Gazipur

A mobile court has sentenced a father to one month's imprisonment for attempting to marry off his 15-year-old daughter by using a fake birth certificate in Kaliganj, Gazipur.

The drive was conducted by Upazila Assistant Commissioner (Land) and Executive Magistrate Zakia Sarwar Lima in Kulthun area of Jangalia Union yesterday afternoon.

Sub-Inspector Riazul Islam, duty officer of Kaliganj Police Station, said the convicted person will be sent to the Gazipur court today.

Magistrate Lima told The Daily Star that the mobile court was conducted after receiving information about the arrangement of child marriage in that area. During the drive, wedding preparations were stopped, and the age of the bride was verified. A fake birth certificate was prepared to make the girl appear to be an adult, even though she was actually 15 years old, the magistrate said.

The bride's father, Rafiqul Islam, was sentenced under section 8 of the “Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2017.”

The upazila administration said child marriage is a social crime and harmful to the future of children, adding that the administration's campaign to prevent such crimes will continue regularly.