The news published in The Daily Star yesterday of a 60-year-old union parishad (UP) chairman forcefully marrying a minor girl, aged only 14, is an example of how corrupt public officials defy the law of the land recklessly and with impunity. The 14-year-old had eloped with a boy, another teenager, and the couple was caught after the girl's father lodged a complaint. The UP chairman arbitrated and his solution was to marry the child himself by recording a false date of birth in the marriage register. Thus, the chairman violated a number of laws. Not only did he violate the Child Marriage Restraint Act 2017 that prohibits child marriage, he also committed fraud and violated the Marriage Registration Act. Although he later "divorced" her, this hardly absolves him of committing these crimes.

Unfortunately, as obvious as it is that the UP chairman has abused his power, it seems he also has enough clout for the local administration to be hesitant about taking any action against him. When contacted, the local Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) said that they will take necessary actions only after directives are received from higher authorities and a proper investigation is conducted. The same goes for the local police, as the local Officer-in-Charge (OC) said that no one has issued a complaint yet, so they can't take action against the culprit of a child marriage. The fact that the chairman married a minor is not enough for him to be arrested. Such double standards when it comes to crimes committed by public officials are aplenty, but they are nonetheless reprehensible and must be discarded.

A UNICEF report on October 7, 2020, highlights that Bangladesh has the highest rate of child marriage in South Asia and ranks first among 10 countries in the world that have the highest number of child marriage. Bangladesh is a signatory to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), which include ending child marriage by 2030. However, these incidents all over the country are testament to the fact that little is being done to eliminate child marriage once and for all. In fact, the pandemic has caused more and more girls to be married off as schools are closed and families are facing increased financial hardship.

We are relieved that the High Court has ordered the authorities to conduct three separate inquiries into the allegations. The government must do much more to protect the rights of girls. It must make sure birth certificates are not falsified to legitimise child marriages, and it must do away with the provision in the law that has created legal loopholes that allow child marriages under "special circumstances". Public officials are supposed to stop these violations and hence, it is even more abhorrent that they should actually commit them. The UP chairman must be punished under the law, and action must be taken against officers of the local administration and law enforcers who did not take immediate steps against the culprit.