Online birth registration mandatory for marriage registration

The government has taken an initiative to amend the 'Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2017' to make online birth registration records mandatory for marriage registration, replacing the manual process.

State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Abu Zafar Mohammad Zahid Hossain disclosed the information in a written reply to a question from NCP MP Abul Hasnat of Cumilla-4 constituency in Parliament on Monday, June 15.

He mentioned that the draft of the new law is currently being prepared with technical assistance from UNICEF and UNFPA.

The proposed amendment aims to close the legal loopholes that allow child marriages under 'special circumstances' provisions of the existing law. The key feature of the amendment will be the mandatory use of online or digital birth registration records instead of traditional paper certificates for marriage registration. The government has taken this step to put an end to the practice of forging birth certificates to conceal the actual age of underage brides and grooms.

The minister further said that many marriages are performed following religious rituals without formal registration, making it difficult to properly monitor and enforce the law at the field level. To completely eliminate child marriage, a coordinated effort involving law enforcement agencies, local administration, members of parliament, and local government representatives is required.