DUSHANBE, March 27, 2013, Asia-Plus — A female lawmaker in the lower house (Majlisi Namoyandagon) of Tajikistan’s parliament has proposed prohibiting cousin marriages in the country.
MP Saodat Amirshoyeva notes that amendments proposed to Tajikistan’s Family Code provide for prohibiting marriage between first and second cousins.
“These amendments are aimed at, first of all, protecting a gene fund of the Tajiks, health of the future generation of our republic,” Ms. Amirshoyeva said in an interview with Asia-Plus.
She noted that the cousin marriages increase the risk of passing on genetic abnormalities. “Distorted destinies of the children of cousin marriages have made me propose these amendments to the country’s Family Code,” the parliamentarian stressed.
According to her, the Majlisi Namoyandagon board (Shuro) has already considered the proposed amendments and a working group has been set up to study the amendments.
We will recall that Ms. Amirshoyeva was one of initiators of raising the minimum marriage age for women in Tajikistan. In 2010, she proposed to raise the minimum marriage age for women to 22.
On July 26, 2010, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon signed a law amending the country”s Family Code to raise the legal age for women to marry from 17 to 18 years. The amendments took effect as of January 1, 2011. Parents who attempt to have their daughters married before the age of 18 will be prosecuted. Many Tajik sociologists say poverty is the main reason parents seek to have their daughters marry at a young age.
The attitude to marriage between two cousins varies across jurisdictions and cultures. It may be considered ideal and actively encouraged, or uncommon but still legal, or considered incest and legally prohibited.
Such marriages are often stigmatized in parts of the Western world, but marriages between first and second cousins nevertheless account for over 10% of marriages worldwide. They are particularly common in the Middle East, where in some nations they account for over half of all marriages.
Only particular kinds of cousin marriage have been allowed in many cultures, such as between cross cousins. Various religions have ranged from prohibiting sixth cousins from marrying to freely allowing first-cousin marriage. Cousin marriage has also featured prominently in the field of anthropology, notably in alliance theory.
The children of first-cousin marriages have an increased risk of genetic disorders, though some scientists contend this is relatively small. Supporters of cousin marriage in the West may view legal bans as discrimination, while opponents may appeal to morality or other arguments.
