Bangladesh challenges law punishing men who refuse to marry after sex

Imagine a situation: two consenting adults engage in intimacy while discussing a future wedding. But if the relationship falls apart, the law finds only one person at fault... the man. In Bangladesh, he can face up to seven years in prison for a "false promise of marriage."

The High Court of Bangladesh has deemed this rule strange and unfair. The judicial panel has demanded that the country's authorities explain why this law still exists and whether it violates basic human rights.

What are the main complaints against the law?

The lawsuit was filed by Supreme Court advocate Ishrat Hasan, who pointed out several absurd aspects at once:

• Double standards and discrimination. The law provides for punishment exclusively for men. It turns out that a woman in such a relationship bears no responsibility for her decisions, even though the intimacy was voluntary on both sides.

• Degradation of women. In essence, the law in its current form portrays adult women as infantile individuals who can supposedly be easily deceived by sweet words about a wedding.

• Complete confusion. The text of the law does not clearly define the boundary: is the crime the very fact of intimacy after talking about marriage, or only the subsequent refusal to marry? Because of this vagueness, any failed relationship can potentially be turned into a criminal case.

This controversial rule was adopted in Bangladesh as part of amendments to the Prevention of Repression against Women and Children Act. Now, the country's government will have to answer to the judges and prove the constitutionality of such a harsh measure.