Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman on Saturday said the introduction of online marriage and divorce registration would help curb marriage-related irregularities, child marriage and unauthorised polygamy.
He added that storing marital records in an integrated central database will enable swift verification of information from anywhere within the country or abroad.
He made these remarks as the chief guest at the inauguration ceremony of a 10-day residential training workshop titled “User Procedures for Software in Online Marriage and Divorce Registration and Related Issues”, held at the BRAC Learning Centre (BLC) in the capital.
The minister noted that a primary objective of the new system is to preserve citizens’ marital records in a reliable, integrated database. This will simplify monitoring and verification regarding annual marriage counts, instances of child marriage, and the proper implementation of marriage laws.
Once online registration is introduced, authorities and individuals can verify whether a person was previously married, their total number of prior marriages, and whether mandatory prior permission from the Arbitration Council was obtained for a new marriage.
Consequently, opportunities for concealing marriage details, secret marriages, and subsequent denials of marriage will be reduced. Furthermore, prospective brides and grooms will be able to make informed choices knowing their partner’s marital history, ultimately reducing the trend of polygamy.
Addressing inheritance and legal disputes, Asaduzzaman pointed out that having digital marital records will allow authorities to verify authentic details if multiple individuals claim to be a deceased person’s spouse or child, thereby minimising potential disputes and litigation. For overseas travel requiring marital verification, authorities will be able to check records online, eliminating the need to liaise with various government offices through traditional channels.
Highlighting plans to gradually interlink marriage registration data with national databases—including National Identity Cards (NID), birth registration, and passports—the law minister remarked that interconnected government data systems will render citizen identity and data verification faster and more effective. He emphasised that as the world rapidly shifts towards IT-driven systems, Bangladesh must keep pace.
The training workshop has been organised under the pilot project titled “Civil Registration and Vital Statistics: ICT Infrastructure Development for Marriage and Divorce Registration”.
A total of 27 marriage and divorce registrars (Nikah Registrars) from five districts are participating in the programme, receiving practical instruction on operating online registration software, managing registration procedures, and data archiving.
Speaking to the registrars, the minister highlighted that they belong to a respected and dignified profession in society, and that their preparation and skills are crucial to implementing the online system. He noted that the trained registrars will act as master trainers to prepare other Nikah Registrars in their respective localities, with all Nikah Registrars across the country eventually being brought under this training program gradually.
As part of initiatives to ensure transparency and accountability in public administration, the minister revealed that a trial lottery system has been introduced for postings of sub-registrars in Dhaka district. Introducing rule-based postings through a lottery will curb long stays at a single workstation and reduce lobbying for postings.
He assured that appropriate measures would also be taken regarding Nikah Registrars, alongside initiatives to enact modern legislation ensuring priority for their successors entering the profession.
Chaired by Law and Justice Division Secretary Liaquet Ali Molla, the inaugural function was attended by Additional Secretaries Md Khadem Ul Kayes and SM Ershadul Alam, Director General of the Directorate of Bangladesh Legal Aid Md Monjurul Hossain, Inspector General of the Directorate of Registration Shamima Afroze, Project Director Md Azizul Haque and BRAC’s Social Empowerment and Legal Protection Programme (SELP) Director Shashwatee Biplob, among others.
