Marriage age rises to 18 in England and Wales in ‘victory’ against child exploitation
A law raising the legal marriage age to 18 has been hailed as a “huge victory for survivors” of forced marriages in England or Wales.
From today, people aged 16 of 17 can no longer wed or enter a civil partnership in England or Wales, even with parental consent in a bid to protect young teens.
The change means it is now a crime to exploit vulnerable children by arranging for them to marry under any circumstances.
The law will also cover non-legally binding “traditional” ceremonies that would still be viewed as marriages by the parties and their families, the Government said.
Natasha Rattu, director of the Karma Nirvana charity that is a member of the Girls Not Brides Coalition, said: “The change to legislation on child marriage is a huge victory for survivors.
“It is a huge leap forward to tackling this usually hidden abuse and will provide a greater degree of protection to those at risk.
“Last year, the national Honour Based Abuse helpline supported 64 cases of child marriage, representing only a small picture of a much bigger problem. We hope the new law will help to increase identification and reporting, affording greater protection to children at risk.”
Those found guilty of arranging child marriages could now face a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.
Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said: “This law will better protect vulnerable young people, by cracking down on forced marriage.
“Those who act to manipulate children into marrying under-age will rightly face the full force of the law.”
MP Pauline Latham introduced the Bill, under the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act, in Parliament in 2021.
The Conservative said today is a “landmark day for the campaigners who have worked relentlessly for over five years to ban child marriage in this country”.
She added: “Child marriage destroys lives and through this legislation we will protect millions of boys and girls over the coming years from this scourge.”
The Government’s forced marriage unit provided advice or support in 118 cases involving victims aged under 18 in 2021.
The Ministry of Justice said the statistics showed forced marriage is more likely to impact girls than boys.
In 2018, 28 boys married under the age of 18 compared with 119 girls in England and Wales.
