The scar of forced marriage

A recent household survey conducted by Oxfam among 330 households in four districts of the country reveals that forty-nine percent of women had not given consent to their parents to go ahead with their marriages. It speaks volumes about the wide prevalence of forced marriage as well as women's inferior position in the society. Forced marriage is often associated with child marriage as the survey shows that average age of marriage of the surveyed women was 16 years. It is also identified as a major reason behind the high rate of domestic violence in the country.  

Though forced marriage is a criminal offence in the country, there is little enforcement of the legal provisions against this social malaise. The recently passed Child Marriage Restraint Act has only exacerbated the fear as there is scope of misusing the "special provision" which stipulates that a child can be married off in "special circumstances". And it is obvious that a girl child will have very little say about her marriage in such "special circumstances". There is a widespread demand to repeal this provision and this paper also holds a similar view about the issue. On this occasion of the International Women's day, we reiterate our call to make a better world where every woman can exercise her right to choose when to marry as well as take every decision in her life.