Bangladesh to remove 'virgin' option from marriage certificates

According to Bangladesh's Muslim marriage and divorce laws, a bride currently needs to select from amongst three options on a marriage certificate which are 'kumari' (means virgin), widow or divorced. However, the same is not required of men.

Dhaka: In what is being hailed as a step towards gender equality, brides in Bangladesh will no longer have to declare if they are 'virgins' on marriage certificates, as per a high court ruling.

According to Bangladesh's Muslim marriage and divorce laws, a bride currently needs to select from amongst three options on a marriage certificate which are 'kumari' (means virgin), widow or divorced, according to CNN. However, the same is not required of men.

Three rights groups had filed a petition against the term in 2014. They had described the practice to be discriminatory.

As per the ruling, the word 'kumari' will be replaced with 'unmarried'. The other two options will remain the same.

As for grooms, they will now be required to disclose their marital status as well.

However, the full version of the ruling will be released in October. The Bangladeshi government's compliance with the court order also remains unclear.