Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman has said introducing an online system for marriage and divorce registration will make it easier to prevent irregularities related to marriage, child marriage and unauthorised polygamy.

He said the system would also allow marital information to be stored in a centralised database, enabling authorities to quickly verify relevant records from anywhere in the country and even from abroad.

The minister made the remarks as the chief guest at the opening of a 10-day residential training programme titled “User Guidelines and Relevant Issues of Software for Online Marriage and Divorce Registration” at the BRAC Learning Centre (BLC) in the capital on Saturday (October 3).

Asaduzzaman said one of the key objectives of the system is to maintain reliable and integrated information on citizens’ marital relationships in a centralised database. This would make it easier to monitor and verify how many marriages take place each year, whether cases of child marriage are occurring and whether relevant marriage laws are being properly enforced.

He said once online marriage registration is introduced, it will be possible to verify whether a person has been previously married, how many times they have married and whether prior approval from the relevant Arbitration Council has been obtained when required for a new marriage.

“As a result, opportunities for marriage by concealing information, secret marriages and subsequently denying a marriage will be reduced,” he said. “A woman or man will also be able to learn about a prospective partner’s previous marriages before making a decision. Overall, this will help reduce the prevalence of polygamy.”

The minister said maintaining marital records would also make it possible to verify the actual status of a person’s family relationships after their death if multiple individuals claimed to be the deceased’s spouse or children. This could help reduce disputes and litigation over such claims.

He added that when verification of marital status is required for travelling abroad, the relevant authorities would be able to check the registered information online. This would reduce the need to contact different government offices through conventional procedures.

Mentioning plans to gradually link marriage registration data with other government databases, including the national identity card, birth registration and passport databases, Asaduzzaman said an integrated and interconnected government information system would make verification of citizens’ identities and related information faster and more effective.

“The world is rapidly moving towards technology-driven systems. Bangladesh must also move forward in line with this trend,” he said.

The training programme has been organised under the pilot project titled “Civil Registration and Vital Statistics: Development of ICT Infrastructure for Marriage and Divorce Registration.” A total of 27 Nikah registrars from five districts are participating in the training.

The programme provides practical training on the use of the online marriage and divorce registration software, management of registration activities, data preservation and other related matters.

Addressing the Nikah registrars, Asaduzzaman said they are engaged in a respected and dignified profession in society. Their skills and preparedness will be important for the introduction of the online registration system.

He said those receiving the training would not only develop their own skills but would also help prepare other Nikah registrars in their respective areas. Gradually, all Nikah registrars across the country will be brought under the training programme.

The minister also said an initiative has initially been taken to introduce a lottery system for the posting of sub-registrars in Dhaka district as part of efforts to ensure transparency and accountability in government services.

He said assigning posts through a lottery in accordance with rules and regulations would reduce the scope for officials to remain in the same place for long periods and limit lobbying over postings. Appropriate measures would also be taken regarding Nikah registrars, he added.

At the same time, he said an initiative would be taken to formulate an updated law so that successors of Nikah registrars could have an opportunity to receive priority when entering the profession.

The programme was chaired by Law and Justice Division Secretary Liaquat Ali Molla. Additional Secretaries Md Khadem Ul Kayes and SM Ershadul Alam, Bangladesh Legal Aid Services Directorate Director General Md Manzurul Hossain, Registration Department Inspector General Shamima Afroz, Project Director Md Azizul Haque, and BRAC Social Empowerment and Legal Protection Programme (SELP) Director Shwashwoti Biplob, among other officials from the Law and Justice Division and BRAC, were present.