As fundamentalist and regressive forces continue to oppose the Centre’s proposal to raise the age of legal marriage for women from 18 to 21, Sajid, the president of Nuh District Bar Association said that “aimless and uneducated women” would transgress if they remain unmarried till the age of 21.
Haryana: We’re objecting to it. Fine for those girls who are educated and have an aim. But those who have no aim, are uneducated, are considered ‘burden’ by parents if not married off: Sajid,President,Dist Bar Assn,Nuh on bill to increase marriage age of women from 18 to 21 years pic.twitter.com/erqLUFWeUm
— ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2021
Sajid has toed the line of fundamentalist maulanas and regressive lawmakers like Samajwadi Party MP Shafiqur Rahman Barq who said that girls will get an excuse to do ‘awargi’ (to indulge in reckless, immoral behaviour) if they are not married earlier.
The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021 aims to raise the age of legal marriage for women by proposing amendments to the 2006 law. It will apply to all women from all faiths of the country, hence, Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Smriti Irani had dubbed it as secular legislation.
The draft legislation now referred to a parliamentary panel for scrutiny proposes 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, Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act and the Foreign Marriage Act.
But Sajid said that the proposed amendment can benefit only educated and career-oriented women. He contended that it would harm girls who are ‘aimless and uneducated’ and considered a ‘burden’ by parents.
Sajid said that girls and boys of this day and age are given a lot of freedom and liberty and there are high chances for girls and boys of young age to ‘deviate’.
Nuh District Bar Association president said that women who are educated and are aiming for something in their life can control such temptation to deviation. “However, there is a higher chance for a girl who is unmarried, illiterate, and has no aims to transgress,” he said.
He said that if a girl at the age of 18 has legal rights to make decisions about her life, then there is no logic behind raising their marriageable age to 21.
