Dhaka, June 21 -- Social Welfare Advisor Sharmeen S Murshid has said the now-removed Awami League government created a "dangerous precedent" by legally enabling underage marriage through an exception in the 2017 child marriage law.

Speaking at an event marking World Day Against Child Labour at the Film Development Corporation (FDC) on Saturday, she said a government that operated under "authoritarian values" could not be expected to deliver sensitive or responsible policies.

She pointed to the Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2017 (CMRA) which, despite setting marriage age limits at 21 for men and 18 for women, allowed courts to approve marriages below that age in "special circumstances".

That clause, the advisor said, undermined years of...