The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022 has officially come into force on 27 February, prohibiting 16 and 17-year-olds from marrying or entering a civil partnership, even with parental consent. The new legislation is designed to protect vulnerable children from forced marriages and is part of the government’s commitment to tackling violence against women and girls. Those found guilty of arranging child marriages could face up to seven years in prison.
Forced marriages can have a lasting impact on children and are a form of abuse that denies them the freedom to learn, grow and thrive. The age of 18 is widely recognized as the age at which one becomes an adult and gains full citizenship rights, and the new legislation acknowledges this by setting the minimum age for marriage and civil partnerships at 18.
The law was introduced through a Private Member’s Bill brought to Parliament by Pauline Latham OBE MP and was supported by campaign organizations within the Girls Not Brides Coalition, which work to end child marriage and ‘honour’-based abuse.
Previously, forced marriage was only an offense if the person used coercion, such as threats, to cause someone to marry. Under the new legislation, it is now an offense to cause a child under the age of 18 to enter marriage under any circumstances, without the need to find that a form of coercion was used.
Child marriage is often associated with domestic abuse toward girls, leaving education early, limited career opportunities, and serious physical and mental health problems. The change honors the government’s commitment to the pledge made to the United Nations to end child marriage by 2030.
The government’s Forced Marriage Unit provided advice or support in 118 cases involving victims below 18 years of age in 2021, and the courts have issued 3,343 Forced Marriage Protection Orders between their introduction in 2008 and September 2022, which prevent someone from using threats, violence or emotional abuse as a way to force a person into marriage.
The new law has been welcomed by campaigners, who have worked tirelessly for over five years to ban child marriage in the UK. It is hoped that the new legislation will help to increase the identification and reporting of forced marriages, affording greater protection to children at risk. The change to legislation on child marriage is a huge victory for survivors and a significant step forward in tackling this hidden abuse.
Source: Gov[Dot]UK
