Philippines bans child marriage: ‘it debases, degrades, and demeans’ says new law signed by Duterte
- The new law, signed by President Rodrigo Duterte, states child marriage is child abuse
- Prison terms of up to 12 years for marrying or cohabiting with anyone under 18; also for arranging or solemnising underage unions
Child marriage became illegal in the Philippines on Thursday as a law banning the practice took effect in a country where one in six girls enters wedlock before the age of 18.
The impoverished Southeast Asian country has the 12th-highest number of child marriages in the world, according to Britain-based rights group Plan International, with long-held cultural practices and gender inequality hindering change.
But a new law, signed by President Rodrigo Duterte and released to the public on Thursday, lays out prison terms of up to 12 years for marrying or cohabiting with anyone under 18. People arranging or solemnising underage unions face the same penalty.
“The state … views child marriage as a practice constituting child abuse because it debases, degrades, and demeans the intrinsic worth and dignity of children,” the law states.
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The government says the law is consistent with international conventions on the rights of women and children.
However, some portions of the legislation have been suspended for one year to allow for a transition period for Muslims and indigenous communities in which child marriage is relatively common.