Child marriage law with spl provision passed at JS

The parliament today passed the Child Marriage Restraint Act-2017 bill keeping the much talked about special provision that allows a boy or a girl to get married before reaching the minimum age limit.

The bill was passed by voice votes in the parliament after State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroz Chumki placed it before the House this evening.

READ MORE: Girls' Age for Marriage: 18 years, with exceptions

Under the special provision, both boys and girls can tie the knot before the minimum age limit of 21 and 18 respectively.

Earlier, the cabinet on November 24 last year approved the draft law for preventing child marriage fixing 18 years as the minimum age for girls to get married with the provision.

READ MORE: Govt, rights group remain at odds over 'special circumstances' clause

The provision allows girls under 18 to be married under “special circumstances”.

The cabinet-approved Child Marriage Restraint Act-2016 was placed in Jatiya Sangsad in December last year and sent to the relevant parliamentary body for scrutiny.