The Hon. M.S. Uthumalebbe
Hon. M.S. Uthumalebbe questioned reports that the Government had assured the UN it would amend the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act in relation to child marriage, arguing that such matters should be discussed domestically with bodies such as the ACJU. He said child marriage rates were not highest among Muslims and asked why the Muslim community was being singled out in this context.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Mr. Chairman, I can prove all that the Hon. Minister said is correct. If there is a problem, we should speak, and she invited us to. But on one occasion she went and gave assurances; there are photos.
¶ 02 “Government to amend Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act allowing child marriage! – Minister Sarojini Paulraj assures UN.”
¶ 03 Hon. Minister, you need not tell this to the UN. You can discuss it with the ACJU in Sri Lanka. As Hon. Mujibur Rahuman stated, child marriage rates are lowest in the Muslim community and higher among Tamil, up-country, and Sinhala communities. Why then single out the Muslim community as “allowing child marriage”? Please consult the ACJU on this.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Monday, 17 March 2025 ·No. 1745486934006324 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. M.S. Uthumalebbe. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 17 March 2025. No. 1745486934006324. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/12740