Poonam Muttreja of the Population Foundation of India says the minimum age for marriage for women should be raised through access to education, not laws.
Nation sees increase in rushed nuptials while parliament committee debates Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill 2021; critics say gender equality and reduction in number of child marriages are better served by improved education, not ‘coercive law’.
A bill that seeks to have a uniform age of marriage for men and women was introduced in Lok Sabha on Tuesday amid protests by opposition members, with Union minister Smriti Irani urging the chair to refer it to a parliamentary panel.