Split views on appropriate age for marriage

The Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs hosted the consultations yesterday afternoon in the auditorium of the ministry to facilitate further discussions on options to deal with the issue of child marriages, particularly as it discriminates against girls.

Attorney General Faris Al Rawi in opening remarks said that even though the amendment to the marriages act - the Hindu, Muslim, Orisha and Civil - to raise the age of marriage to 18 years was debated and passed in the Senate and currently is in the House of Representatives for debate, he took a pause to enable further public consultation on the issue as there seemed to be some who are in favour of an exception to allow for marriages between 16 and 18 under certain conditions, and some who support Government’s proposal for 18.

There is another option, he said, that is, to leave the laws as they are which no one supported.

He said that Government took the decision to go with the “stone Cold” age of 18 after looking at the statistics which showed 15,000 live births of children giving birth to children between a 10 years period, abortion among teenage girls, the age vast age gap between 12 to 18 year old girls marrying men who were advanced in age and likened the relationship to one of paedophilia, and the gender disparity - some 99 percent of girls marrying.

Individuals who supported the age of 18 said that those who were supporting the exceptions were continuing the discrimination against the girl child in favour of men who would have proposed the marriages.

They said that making exceptions would also go against harmonising laws governing the rights of children, to United Nations conventions that Government would have committed to upholding, and to laws governing activities that do not allow children to participate, such as voting, and being unable to purchase properties.

Those who called for exceptions said that those marrying between 16 and 18 years should not marry a male more than three years older, and that it should be with parental and/or judicial consent.

There was also a debate on whether the child marrying at 18 should have parental consent. Among those supporting exceptions were the Hindu Women’s Organisation, a Muslim women organisation and the Network of NGOs.