National Bloc: For passing a law forbidding the marriage of minors
The Lebanese National Bloc party denounced the government’s evasive stand on the issue of the marriage of minors and keeping this issue in the court of the religious authorities.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Bloc stressed that this matter goes against the female citizens’ right to safety. The absence of a law preventing the marriage of minors directly contradicts Lebanon’s signature on the International Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The National Bloc noted that studies show that the marriage of minors increases the likelihood of domestic violence, taking into consideration that the highest rates for such marriages happen in underdeveloped and impoverished regions of the country where the impact of lack of education and awareness is felt the most. Studies also show that minor girls suffer psychological and physical damage due to early marriage, thus making the establishment of a law to protect them from exploitation an urgent necessity.
The National Bloc stressed that it is the duty of the elected legislative authorities to decide on this subject as stated clearly in the Constitution and that the elected representatives in parliament represent the nation without any sectarian power over them.