The parliamentary committee for human rights approved on Thursday, after multiple sessions, a draft law banning child marriage, an important precedent in Lebanon.
The committee’s head, MP Michel Moussa, told This is Beirut that “the proposed law prevents child marriage under the age of 18 and imposes penalties on violators.”
He pointed out that “some changes have been introduced in the text format and penalties were amended to be made harsher.”
In response to a question about whether the law can be applied regardless of religious affiliation, Moussa said, “This law was approved by one committee and is not effective yet, it still has to go through two other bodies for approval, which are the administration and justice committee and the General Assembly of the Council.”
“Let’s wait and see how things evolve and what the different opinions will be,” he added.
Bassima Roumani, advocate and legal protection consultant at Himaya, an NGO specialized in child protection, told This is Beirut that three conditions should be fulfilled for the law to be effective.
“The marriage of minors, whether imposed or by their own choice, should be prohibited for all sects and religions in Lebanon,” she said, adding, “There should be no exceptions because once an exception is done, the list won’t stop and it becomes problematic.”
A third condition, Roumani pointed out, is that any marriage registration should be conducted through state institutions. “This is to prevent fraud in evading marriage registration until the minor reaches the age of 18,” she said.
Roumani stressed that “a mechanism should be put in place in order to ensure the fulfillment of these conditions, otherwise, we do not foresee any positive result.”
Earlier on Thursday, the National Commission for Lebanese Women welcomed the proposed bill, stressing that it needs the support of members of parliament to be approved in the administration and justice committee and subsequently in the General Assembly of the Council.
The Commission underscored the importance of such a move that is “aimed at safeguarding human rights and protecting children from early marriage.”
