Marriage bill: Women groups reach out to Parliamentary panel

Several women organisations have reached out to the Parliamentary committee assigned to examine the The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which seeks to raise the legal age of marriage for women to 21.

Several women organisations have reached out to the Parliamentary committee assigned to examine the The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which seeks to raise the legal age of marriage for women to 21, a senior member of the panel said on Sunday.

Several women organisations have reached out to the Parliamentary committee assigned to examine the The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021.

“Many women organisations and individuals would be invited. We will hear views of different sections before preparing our report. Some women organizations have already contacted us to depose before the panel. This bill would not be reviewed hastily,” the member said, seeking anonymity.

The remarks came after Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi pointed out that the panel of 31 members included only one woman. She was referring to Trinamool Congress MP Sushmita Dev. “Women participation for a woman centric bill! In a committee of 31 only 1 is a woman,” Chaturvedi tweeted.

Another member, however, argued that the composition of the panel depends on the nomination of MPs by various parties and the decision of the Rajya Sabha chairman.

“But we will hear many women and women organisations during the discourse on the bill. It would not be that the bill would be reviewed by only the men present in the committee,” the member said, seeking anonymity.

“We are meeting on January 5 to decide the methodology of reviewing the bill. Usually, all committees invite public response for bills. We will also follow the same route.” Vinay P. Sahasrabuddhe, panel chairman, told HT.

The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021, was tabled in the Lok Sabha during the Winter Session of Parliament and later referred to a parliamentary panel for further scrutiny by a voice vote.

The bill seeks to modify the definition of a child, stating that it means a male or female who has not completed 21 years of age. It also seeks to make consequential changes to various personal laws relating to the marriage of different communities to ensure a uniform marriage age.

According to the draft legislation, “women are often put in a disadvantageous position in regard to higher education, vocational instruction, attainment of psychological maturity and skill-sets, etc. Entering into the employment sphere and being part of the workforce to make themselves self dependent ... is a critical area”.

“These disadvantages perpetuate the dependence of women on men,” it added.

The draft legislation seeks to amend seven personal laws – the Indian Christian Marriage Act; the Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act; the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act; the Special Marriage Act; the Hindu Marriage Act; the Hindu Minority and Gaurdianship Act, and the Foreign Marriage Act.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently backed the central government’s decision to increase the age of marriage of daughters from 18 to 21.

“We have decided daughters will be allowed to marry at the same age sons are allowed to. With 21 years of age for marriage of daughters, they will get full time to study and will also be able to make their career,” he said.

The bill evoked mixed responses. While a section of political leaders have extended their support, a few Muslim organisations have raised concerns over the bill.