Activists differ on bill to raise age of marriage for women, house panel to invite more stakeholders for discussions

By Ashoke Raj
New Delhi [India], May 9 : The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports on Monday discussed the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill 2021, which proposes to raise the minimum age of marriage for women from 18 to 21.
The Committee has invited around seven witnesses to discuss the bill which raises the minimum age of the women to marry from 18 to 21 years.
"One of the seven witnesses did not come to the meeting and two were seen against the bill... then the same three supported the bill," a participant at the meeting told ANI.
All the organisations called for today's meeting are associated with women and work for their betterment. They include Kailash Satyarthi's Children Foundation and Lado Panchayat supported the bill. One of the invited members said in the parliamentary meeting, "At the age of 18, women are mature physically but not intellectually."
Secretary of the Women and Child Development (WCD) and Ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW) attended the meeting and gave a detailed presentation about the bill and its impact on society.
"Both the senior officers of the said ministry have given a detailed presentation in front of the committee in connection with the bill and stressed that 21 is the right age to get married biologically and scientifically," a committee member said.
Centre for Child Rights, National Federation of Indian Women, Women Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and PS Legislative Research also attended the meeting and gave their views regarding the child marriage amendment bill 2022.
Secretary Of Women and Child Development (WCD) and Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) participated in the meeting and presented details about the Bill and its impact on society.
"Both the senior officers of the said ministry have given a detailed presentation before the committee regarding the Bill and importantly have emphasized on 21 being biologically and scientifically the right age to marry," a member of the committee said.
According to one of the committee members, there were many discussions regarding the bill, including heated debates.
"Some members of the committee are concerned about the alarming law and order situation in rural areas where parents cannot leave their girls alone in remote areas," the member said.
"Other members of the committee have been confronted with the logic of many of the suggestions and restrictions were reported when the bill changed the marriage age from 15 to 18, but it is now in practice," he added.
Senior BJP leader Rajya Sabha member Vinay Sahasrabuddhe is the Committee Chairman and has called for another round of meeting with other stakeholders and asked for further discussion on the bill. The committee has been given time to submit the report before June 25.