The State government in matrilineal Meghalaya has made it mandatory for married people to produce marriage certificates for all official purposes.
The government has also decided to deny government jobs and benefits to men who have abandoned their families and are not providing for maintenance of their children. Some of these men live with other women.
The step, officials said, has been taken in view of increasing cases of broken marriages and women being forced to fend for themselves and their children.
A notification in this regard was issued by B. Syiemlieh, Under Secretary to the State’s Department of Excise, Registration, Taxation and Stamps. In a letter to a local NGO named Maitshaphrang, he said all government departments have been asked to ensure that individuals, if married, are made to submit copies of their marriage certificates for all official purposes.
Michael N. Syiem, the NGO’s convener, had in a memorandum to the Chief Minister pointed out that the abandonment of families by men lead to a spike in school dropouts and juvenile crimes. He sought implementation of the Meghalaya Compulsory Registration of Marriage Act, 2012.
Fight for maintenance
“The government’s order cannot stop divorce, but marriage certificates will help abandoned women fight for the maintenance of their children after their husbands abandon them,” Mr. Syiem said.
He said most marriages in the Khasi society are not registered, and this makes it difficult for abandoned women to fight for the maintenance of their children.
“We are happy with the government’s move that has come after 30 years of fighting,” he added.