‘Special Provision’ is discriminatory
After years of struggle, we should be ashamed of what we have achieved in terms of women empowerment in Bangladesh. With respect to the special provision in the Child Marriage Restraint Act 2016, I ask the people who came up with such a deadly way of saving the “virtue” of the girls of our country – “Would any of you marry your daughters off at the age of 13?” If your daughters got their best chance, you shall provide the same for our daughters!
I used to take pride in the strides Bangladesh has taken in reducing sex selective abortion compared to our neighbours in India. But this special provision negates all those efforts. Instead of using social and legal institutions to create safe spaces for our daughters, we have legalised their marriage to rapists. Even if my daughter were to fall pregnant through her own error in judgment, I would never marry her off to a rapist. Any parent who values their daughters should speak out against the special provision of the Child Marriage Restraint Act 2016.
The fight for equal opportunities for girls has always been against the politics of patriarchy. Structural inequalities along with the patriarchal institutions have led to the oppression of women for decades. We have achieved a mix of successes and failures in addressing these issues, but we must not rest. If we fail today, we kill the hope of giving our daughters a peaceful and prosperous future.
Ishret Binte Wahid
Student, London School of Economics
and Political Science
