Bangladesh Human Rights Commission Chairman Dr Mizanur Rahman stressed the need for ensuring safety and security of the female children more effectively to discourage child marriage in the society.
He said a vested group was trying to misguide the people in villages taking the advantage of the vulnerable condition of the rural girls to reduce the present age bar for female to get married.
The commission chairman categorically said that any initiative to change minimum age bar of bellow 18 years of the female children for marriage would mean gross violation of the international human rights.
“Bangladesh is a signatory country to the Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the government has fixed 18 years as minimum age for marriage for the female children recognized by the constitution and also as per the child right policy of the country” said Dr Mizan.
The Chairman said this on Monday while addressing a round-table meeting on age limit of female for marriage.
With Bangladesh Mahila Parishad President Ayesha Khanam in the chair, the roundtable was also addressed, among others, by Executive Director of Manusher Jonno Foundation Shahin Anam, Executive Director of Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association Salma Ali, Acting Chief of Gender Unit of the UNFPA Shamima Parvin, Gender Advisor of UNDP Sara Bamsted, UNICEF’s Gender and Development Specialist Rashni Basu and Director of Child Protection Unit of Save the Children Laila Khandaker.
Terming the pressure to lower the age-limit of the female children for marriage is a ‘hefazati initiative,’ Dr Rahman said a vested quarter is suggesting the government to lessen the age limit of the female children to jeopardize the image of the government in the international arena.
