HWO disappointed about Marriage Bill

In a statement, HWO president Brenda Gopeesingh said, “It is more than five years that the HWO began advocating tirelessly to have the minimum age for marriage across all the Marriage Acts raised to 18 for all citizens with an exception under strict checks and balances for those 16 to 18 years old.” During debate on the bill, Opposition Senator Wade Mark said the United National Congress (UNC) supported this position.

According to Gopeesingh, “This advocacy, at its core, has been based on protecting girls from the predatory sexual behaviour of grown men, and on removing marriage as ‘an option’ for them to shield themselves from the legal consequences of statutory rape.” Noting comments made by Independent Senator Sophia Chote SC in last week’s debate on the bill, Gopeesingh said, “The fact that no one voted against the Bill is proof that the issue is not the need to amend the existing law to raise the age of marriage for girls and boys to 18, but rather providing in special circumstances (not necessarily pregnancy) for a procedure for exemptions as is the case in the Romeo clause of the Children Act.” She claimed the Marriage Act currently allows a 16 year old to marry without parental consent.

“Changing the Act to make it impossible to marry unless she is 18 and over, takes that right away and does not even give the option of marrying with parental consent,” Gopeesingh stated.

She added, “We also note that no measures have been put in place to address this removal of an existing right.” Gopeesingh also said the HWO was concerned about what it described as the “tactical” move used by Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi to remove the required clause identifying the bill as one requiring a three-fifths majority so that it may be passed by a simple majority.