Bangladesh's Government: Ban First and Second Cousin marriages in Bangladesh
Bangladesh's Government: Ban First and Second Cousin marriages in Bangladesh
The Issue
Consanguineous marriages also known as cousin marriages up to second cousins have been a long practice throughout world history, but have become a taboo in some cultures throughout time, via scientific evaluations and evident researches. Religions such as Protestantism Christianity, Islam and Judaism freely allow marital unions between first and second cousins; but again as mentioned above through effective scientific research many cultures and some countries have abolished the acceptance and legality of the practice.
Marriage from consanguinity also known as marriage from blood relation is highly prolific in extremely gender segregated conservative religious societies where men and women don't have a chance to find a considerate marriage partner for themselves which leads to the lack of effort of parents to find someone from another family and sparking the extensive pattern of inbreeding. In Pakistan consanguineous marriages toll up to 50-55% and the same nation suffers through a population which contains 7% of disabled demographics out of a whole 220 million people which can also be caused by other factors but inbreeding(cousin marriages) are a key factor of them as 31% of the cases of genetic disabilities within the Pakistani community is caused by inbreeding a study considered from UK. UK Baroness Flather has professed how children of British Pakistani origin are 13 times more likely to suffer form a genetically recessive disorder, the Middle East is also a humongous participant as babies birthed form parents of Saudi Arabian origin are guaranteed of via a numerical of 8% of being born with a genetical disorder because 32% of Jordanians, 40% of Egyptians, and 60-70% of Saudi Arabians marry a first or second cousin, according to Dubai-based Centre for Arab Genomic Studies (CAGS), the Arab countries contribute approximately USD 30 billion per year to their populations’ suffering from hereditary genetic diseases and according to the Gulf Cooperation Council – UAE, KSA, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and Bahrain–congenital handicaps and malformations represent the second highest cause of infant death.
https://themuslimtimes.info/2015/07/10/first-cousin-marriages-in-pakistani-families-leading-to-disabilities-among-children/ https://prezi.com/iinswj-3xb9j/genetic-disorders-in-pakistani-population/ https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/health-why-cousins-can-be-just-too-close-the-pakistani-practice-of-marrying-relations-may-be-causing-1483250.html https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2765422/ https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2016/02/25/keeping-it-in-the-family
First Cousins are cousins that share a pair of grandparents; they share 12.5% of DNA on average. Second Cousins are cousins that share a pair of great-grandparents; they share 3.13% of DNA on average, both considered inbreeding. Studies from 11,000 children of South Asian background mostly Pakistani have shown that first and second cousins, were associated with a 3 to 6 percent increased risk of Down syndrome, heart and lung defects. First cousins are at a risk of 5% and Second cousins are at a risk of 3.5% of having a child with birth defects if there has been no generational cousin marriages but if its a pattern of generational inbreeding which includes both first and second cousins, then the risks could be much higher, compared to the 2% when marrying a stranger.
https://blogs.arynews.tv/cousin-marriage-birth-defects/
Being a Bangladeshi I highly request for the support of my fellow Bangladeshi Citizens, Brothers and Sisters, anyone to encourage the Bangladeshi government to ban First and Second marriages because of the consecutive risks that such unions of inbreeding can cause, even if it is not at high rate in Bangladesh, its still at accepted and is not stigmatized by society under the cause of Islam allowing it, now we need to realize that by occurrence Bangladesh is a "secular nation" and it has the full potential and right to make a non-religious law for the protection of its "own" civilians well being. Cousin Marriages are also a very barbaric form of child abuse; because these children born with birth defects never asked to be like that in the first place, but the acceptance of inbreeding in society has done it for them .Additionally someone mentions how respective Sheikh Mujibur Rahman the labelled father of our nation has married his cousin who is our Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's mother then it will be very unreasonable for them to do so; because just as I mentioned that at the past it occurred especially because scientific evidence was yet not discovered, but by time society should change before our Bangladeshi community starts an embarkment of cousin marriages; because already in the city of Sylhet(north-eastern Bangladesh) there is a considerable amount of cousin marriages and even nation wide it is accepted, in fact many young women have been forced and tricked into such marriages, which goes against a person fundamental human rights of marrying via consent . Additionally, many children alongside British Pakistanis are British Bangladeshis that produce defected children from cousin marriages. Currently, the COVID-19 pandemic has spread and corrupted health security throughout the world, so it would be very helpful if the support is gained and after the magnitude of the pandemic has decreased, this issues is discussed in Parliament. Please share this petition and support it!
38
The Issue
Consanguineous marriages also known as cousin marriages up to second cousins have been a long practice throughout world history, but have become a taboo in some cultures throughout time, via scientific evaluations and evident researches. Religions such as Protestantism Christianity, Islam and Judaism freely allow marital unions between first and second cousins; but again as mentioned above through effective scientific research many cultures and some countries have abolished the acceptance and legality of the practice.
Marriage from consanguinity also known as marriage from blood relation is highly prolific in extremely gender segregated conservative religious societies where men and women don't have a chance to find a considerate marriage partner for themselves which leads to the lack of effort of parents to find someone from another family and sparking the extensive pattern of inbreeding. In Pakistan consanguineous marriages toll up to 50-55% and the same nation suffers through a population which contains 7% of disabled demographics out of a whole 220 million people which can also be caused by other factors but inbreeding(cousin marriages) are a key factor of them as 31% of the cases of genetic disabilities within the Pakistani community is caused by inbreeding a study considered from UK. UK Baroness Flather has professed how children of British Pakistani origin are 13 times more likely to suffer form a genetically recessive disorder, the Middle East is also a humongous participant as babies birthed form parents of Saudi Arabian origin are guaranteed of via a numerical of 8% of being born with a genetical disorder because 32% of Jordanians, 40% of Egyptians, and 60-70% of Saudi Arabians marry a first or second cousin, according to Dubai-based Centre for Arab Genomic Studies (CAGS), the Arab countries contribute approximately USD 30 billion per year to their populations’ suffering from hereditary genetic diseases and according to the Gulf Cooperation Council – UAE, KSA, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and Bahrain–congenital handicaps and malformations represent the second highest cause of infant death.
https://themuslimtimes.info/2015/07/10/first-cousin-marriages-in-pakistani-families-leading-to-disabilities-among-children/ https://prezi.com/iinswj-3xb9j/genetic-disorders-in-pakistani-population/ https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/health-why-cousins-can-be-just-too-close-the-pakistani-practice-of-marrying-relations-may-be-causing-1483250.html https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2765422/ https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2016/02/25/keeping-it-in-the-family
First Cousins are cousins that share a pair of grandparents; they share 12.5% of DNA on average. Second Cousins are cousins that share a pair of great-grandparents; they share 3.13% of DNA on average, both considered inbreeding. Studies from 11,000 children of South Asian background mostly Pakistani have shown that first and second cousins, were associated with a 3 to 6 percent increased risk of Down syndrome, heart and lung defects. First cousins are at a risk of 5% and Second cousins are at a risk of 3.5% of having a child with birth defects if there has been no generational cousin marriages but if its a pattern of generational inbreeding which includes both first and second cousins, then the risks could be much higher, compared to the 2% when marrying a stranger.
https://blogs.arynews.tv/cousin-marriage-birth-defects/
Being a Bangladeshi I highly request for the support of my fellow Bangladeshi Citizens, Brothers and Sisters, anyone to encourage the Bangladeshi government to ban First and Second marriages because of the consecutive risks that such unions of inbreeding can cause, even if it is not at high rate in Bangladesh, its still at accepted and is not stigmatized by society under the cause of Islam allowing it, now we need to realize that by occurrence Bangladesh is a "secular nation" and it has the full potential and right to make a non-religious law for the protection of its "own" civilians well being. Cousin Marriages are also a very barbaric form of child abuse; because these children born with birth defects never asked to be like that in the first place, but the acceptance of inbreeding in society has done it for them .Additionally someone mentions how respective Sheikh Mujibur Rahman the labelled father of our nation has married his cousin who is our Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's mother then it will be very unreasonable for them to do so; because just as I mentioned that at the past it occurred especially because scientific evidence was yet not discovered, but by time society should change before our Bangladeshi community starts an embarkment of cousin marriages; because already in the city of Sylhet(north-eastern Bangladesh) there is a considerable amount of cousin marriages and even nation wide it is accepted, in fact many young women have been forced and tricked into such marriages, which goes against a person fundamental human rights of marrying via consent . Additionally, many children alongside British Pakistanis are British Bangladeshis that produce defected children from cousin marriages. Currently, the COVID-19 pandemic has spread and corrupted health security throughout the world, so it would be very helpful if the support is gained and after the magnitude of the pandemic has decreased, this issues is discussed in Parliament. Please share this petition and support it!
38
The Decision Makers
Petition created on 22 July 2020