Introduction and Deliberation on the Marriage (Amendment) Bill of Bhutan, 2024
Today,
the Natural Resources and Environment Committee (NREC) presented the Marriage
(Amendment) Bill of Bhutan 2024 for deliberation. The Bill was passed in the
1st session of the 4th Parliament of the National Assembly (NA) and forwarded
to the National Council for further review. The NREC was assigned by the House
to review the Bill.
In his presentation, the Chairperson of the NREC, Hon’ble Kelzang Lhundup, briefly outlined the various consultations and field visits carried out by the Committee. He presented the committee's proposal on the Bill, which included an overview of the proposed amendments, the amendments made by the NA, and the Committee’s recommendations. He also noted that Bhutan recorded 1,313 divorce cases, according to data from the National Statistics Bureau (NSB) for the year 2022. Based on research, the Committee identified key reasons for divorce, which were presented as percentages: 73% citing lack of commitment, 56% excessive arguing, 55% infidelity, 46% marrying at a young age, 45% unrealistic expectations, 44% lack of equality in the relationship, 41% inadequate preparation for marriage, and 25% due to domestic violence.
The Committee accepted two provisions amended by the National Assembly, further amended 14 provisions, and proposed nine new provisions.
During the deliberations, Hon'ble Members shared their views on the new provisions proposed by the Committee, as well as on the provisions amended by the Committee. Following the discussions, the House directed the Committee to revisit certain provisions in consultation with the Members who raised concerns. The final Bill is scheduled to be adopted on December 3, 2024.
Tomorrow, the House will deliberate on the Alternative Dispute Resolution (Amendment) Bill of Bhutan 2024.
