A bill to ban child marriage and close loopholes in legislation recently received bipartisan support in the house of commons for England and Wales. 

Currently, 16 and 17 year olds can marry in England and Wales with the consent of a guardian. A recent bill introduced by Conservative MP Pauline Latham will end exceptions in the current legislation which allows marriages under 18 to occur. If passed, the bill will also criminalize underage marriages or religious marriages of minors. By criminalizing all child marriage, the bill will also help activists and victims alike by relieving pressure on victims to prove the marriage was forced.

Child marriage is a global issue. 21% of young women globally are married before their eighteenth birthday, and 12 million girls under 18 are married each year. Child marriage is widely regarded by activists as a violation of human rights and it puts children in significant danger. Child marriage occurs for several reasons, including poverty and societal norms. While child marriage is most common with girls, children regardless of gender are forced into marriages before adulthood. The effects of child marriage on young girls have shown that the children are at risk of early pregnancy, lack of education and domestic violence. Additionally, girls who do not receive education are more vulnerable to child marriage. Often when female children are forced to be wives, they are expected to take on domestic duties, and education no longer becomes a priority. Early pregnancies are also a significant risk to young girls, with complications from childbirth being the leading cause of death for girls aged 15-19 globally. Additionally, the children born from a child marriage are 60% more likely to die within the first year than those born to a mother over 19.

Child marriage is most prominent in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, but it is a global issue present in western countries as well. There are loopholes where children under 18 can enter into marriage in 44 US states. Many countries in Europe have similar laws, allowing child marriage to occur in Austria, Belgium, Italy and Spain. Several countries in Europe have taken similar action to the bill presented in the United Kingdom, completely outlawing child marriage without exception. Germany, Norway and Denmark are some of the countries that have completely banned any child marriage. According to Pew Research, 153 of 198 countries require people to be legal adults to marry. Although a large majority of countries have legislation that requires adulthood for marriage, the same countries often have exceptions, allowing child marriage to remain prevalent globally.

Dana is a recent graduate from Tufts University with a degree in English. While at Tufts she enjoyed working on a campus literary magazine and reading as much as possible. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, she loves to explore and learn new things.