The government of Trinidad and Tobago is taking steps towards modifying the Hindu marriage act to acknowledge women’s occupations on marriage certificates, a change that advocates have long demanded.
With Hinduism practiced by nearly 20% of its 1.4 million inhabitants, and the largest ethnic group identifying as East Indian, the need for recognition of women’s rights in the region is pressing.
On Friday, the Caribbean nation’s Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Legal Affairs announced that a report recommending this amendment has been filed with the law reform commission. The report also tasked the commission with exploring similar reforms in other unspecified areas, aiming to enhance the acknowledgment of women’s rights on a broader scale.
Kamla Tewarie, who is at the helm of the local Hindu Women’s Organization, believes this amendment is long overdue. Speaking to a local newspaper, she referred to this oversight as a lingering remnant of colonialism that continues to foster discrimination. Tewarie emphasized that it is unjust for a woman’s profession or educational achievements to be omitted from her marriage certificate.
