Sushmita Dev Is The Only Woman MP In 31-Member Panel To Examine Bill To Raise The Marriageable Age Of Women. It’s A Shame!

Sushmita Dev Is The Only Woman MP In 31-Member Panel To Examine Bill To Raise The Marriageable Age Of Women. It’s A Shame!

I’ve always hated the fact that Indian women were considered a man’s property for as long as we’ve known. In fact, the Indian laws are also based on the same patriarchal idea. And being a lawyer, this never went down well with me even when I was in law school. Moreover, men seem to hold too much dominance and power over women even in terms of the sex ratio. But what’s worse is that for a very long time, men have been taking decisions for women, their lives and their bodies and even in 2022, the trend seems to continue. From the dinner menu to the clothes that the women of the house wear, men have had a say in anything and everything but women weren’t even allowed to decide for their own bodies. Be it reproductive rights or educational rights, it’s the ‘man of the house’ whose decision takes precedence over everything else. For the past few weeks, we’ve ​all been hailing the Indian government for approving the proposal to raise the marriageable age of girls from 18 years to 21 years. But the truth is that this time too, it’s the men that get to decide for all the women in the country. Hold on, let me explain. So, a Parliamentary Standing Committee has been set up by the government to examine the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021. Out of the total 31 members of the committee, there’s only one woman MP, Trinamool Congress’ Sushmita Dev. And mind you, the sole aim of this committee is to examine the bill that seeks to raise the marriageable age of women from 18 to 21 years.

Well, I guess this will be yet another decision that men will take for women. The landmark bill was introduced in the winter session of Lok Sabha. Trinamool Congress MP Sushmita Dev, who is the only woman on the committee shared that she wished there were more women on the panel that will deliberate on the issues that directly affect women. Seems like we’re not so lucky, are we now? Speaking to India Today, the TMC woman MP said that while she may be the only female on the committee, she will do her best to ensure that every voice is heard by the Chairman of the Committee. She further added, “I do wish there were more women MPs, but I must say that my leader Mamata Banerjee has done it and sent a woman MP to this committee which is going to be considering the bill and I am open to listening to anybody.”

Speaking about the bill that seeks to raise the marriageable age of women from 18 to 21 years, TMC MP Sushmita Dev said that the idea of having the Standing Committee in place is to ‘scrutinise’ all aspects of the bill and listen to the various views and voices with regards to the bill. “It is a sensitive matter and everybody will be heard,” she said.

Also Read: Union Cabinet Approves Proposal To Increase Marriageable Age Of Girls From 18 To 21 Year. But Twitter Has Weird Reactions!

While I’m truly glad that there’s one woman MP on the Parliamentary Panel, I don’t feel particularly glad about it. The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill will have a major impact on society but more importantly on women. This bill that aims to bring the marriageable age of girls at par with men is essential for the entire community. While the legal age of marriage doesn’t have a huge impact on me personally, being at par with men is a step towards equality before the law and that does matter to me and the others of my gender. But sadly, our fate lies in the hands of 30 men. I do hope the TMC MP Sushmita Dev will give it her absolute best but the one question lingering in the air is that –why are there no other women in the standing committee that will decide the fate of our entire gender in the coming days? Even if she does want to do her best, it’s one woman against 30 men. How fair is that?

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Janvi Manchanda

​​She uses her pen to slice through patriarchy. She could be Geet one day, Wednesday Addams next. Writing is the bane of her existence and the object of all her desires!

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