During the parliamentary session on the 17th, MP Uthuma Leppe referred to a headline from the website, claiming that Minister Saroja Paulraj had requested the United Nations to amend the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act to allow child marriage.

In response, Minister Paulraj firmly denied making such a statement at the United Nations and accused Daily Ceylon of spreading false information. She called for legal action against the website for publishing misleading content. Minister Bimal Ratnayake and Deputy Minister Munir Mulabar also expressed their views during the session on the 18th.

FactSeeker investigated the controversy, focusing on MP Uthuma Leppe’s reference to the Daily Ceylon headline, which read: “Government advises to amend Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act that allowed child marriage – Minister Saroja assures the UN.” The article was based on a United Nations report, and FactSeeker found no inaccuracies in the content of the report itself.

However, the headline was misleading. Minister Paulraj did not say that the “Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act allowed child marriage.” Instead, she emphasized that the government had consulted on potential amendments to the Act to balance women’s and children’s rights with cultural rights, including setting a minimum marriage age and establishing a multi-sectoral committee.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1037551734882964&rdid=G223JnwGUxmTi8sA

While the article’s content was accurate, the misleading headline led to confusion and the ensuing debate. FactSeeker confirms that the controversy in Parliament stems from the misleading headline published by Daily Ceylon.