In Colombia, the House of Representatives and the Senate have approved a law banning child and early marriage. President Gustavo Petro’s signature will end a practice that has lasted for more than a century and abolish a provision in the law that allows minors under 14 to marry with parental consent.
This was reported on Sunday by the online forum “America21.de”, specialized in Latin America.
#SonNiñasNoEsposas
With the slogan #SonNiñasNoEsposas (They are girls, not women), Senator Clara López of the ruling ‘Historic Pact’ and independent MPs Jennifer Pedraza and Alexandra Vásquez celebrated the results of the final vote in the Senate. Since 2007, there have been nine failed attempts to achieve this goal. The Petro government had agreed on this in the National Development Plan “Colombia – World Power for Life”.
Children just over ten years old
According to “America21.de”, early marriages in many cases affect children who are slightly older than ten years old. Marta Royo, CEO of Profamilia, explained that this problem has been made normal by both legislation and society. “This reality has harmed thousands of children who have interrupted their natural development process to take on roles for which they are neither physically nor psychologically prepared,” Royo said. Experts also link child marriage to sexual violence, school dropout and early pregnancies.
According to the initiators, the ban on early marriage is a condition to guarantee the rights of thousands of children and young people. Under the protection of the law, the next step should be to promote more education for boys and girls about their rights, their sexual and reproductive lives and guarantee them an educational path.
“Circle of Poverty”
The marriages in question are usually between an adult man and a minor, which according to the UN children’s agency UNICEF, perpetuates the “cycle of poverty” and school dropout and limits women’s “autonomy and independence”. In Argentina, marriage is possible from the age of 14, with the approval of a judge. In the rest of South America, the minimum age for marriage is between 16 and 18 years.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
