NREC consults RENEW on Marriage (Amendment) Bill 2024

August 9, 2024, the Natural Resources and Environment Committee (NREC) held a consultative meeting today with officials from the Respect, Educate, Nurture, and Empower Women (RENEW) civil society organization to discuss the Marriage (Amendment) Bill of Bhutan, 2024.

Dechen Choki, legal officer of RENEW, provided a comprehensive presentation on the proposed amendments to the Marriage Act, emphasizing the need to align the Dzongkha and English versions of the Act.

One key issue highlighted was Section 3.5, which addresses compensation and fines for concealing a marriage. RENEW officials suggested that if a third party is required to pay compensation (GAW), the spouse involved in an illicit relationship should also be liable to pay a similar amount to the government.

Section 5.1, which governs the settlement of separation costs was also discussed. They pointed out that this rule, which requires the party initiating the separation to bear the costs, often prevents women in abusive relationships from leaving their marriages.

Additionally, Section 7.3, concerning the maintenance and expenditure for children’s upbringing was scrutinized. They stressed that the current child allowance is inadequate to support the upbringing of children.

The committee plans to conduct further consultative meetings with relevant agencies in the coming days.