Bill approved ending child marriage in Colombia
18 November 2024Plan International celebrates approval of landmark bill, raising the minimum age for marriage from 14 to 18 in Colombia.
Plan International celebrates the decision taken by the Colombian Senate to approve the bill that eliminates child marriage in the country. This new law, which raises the minimum age for marriage from 14 to 18, is a key step forward in the protection of the rights of children and adolescents.
“With the presidential approval, which we hope will be soon, it is crucial to continue working to raise awareness in society about the devastating consequences of this harmful practice, which deeply affect girls and adolescents, who, being sexualised in an early and imposed way, have greater risks of being united, married or having a forced child pregnancy,” said Ángela Anzola, president of Plan International in Colombia.
According to official figures, more than 314,000 girls and adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 have reported being married, in union, divorced, separated, or widowed. This new law seeks to eliminate this harmful practice, recognising that child marriage is a violation of the fundamental rights of children.
In Colombia, Article 117 of the Civil Code allowed minors to marry with the permission of their parents or legal representatives. The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child repeatedly included in its recommendations the importance of updating this regulation to raise the age of consent for marriage.
This law is the result of years of joint work between civil society organisations such as Plan International and the proponents of the bill, Congresswomen Alexandra Vásquez and Jennifer Pedraza.
First step towards positive change
The approval of the law is an important first step toward positive change. It will also lead to a national education programme that gives young people the information they need to make thoughtful decisions about their future.
Despite this great progress, Plan International stresses that there is still much to be done. The organisation will continue to work tirelessly to promote equal rights for girls and adolescents in Colombia, so that each of them can transform their dreams into reality.
Categories: Sexual and reproductive health and rights
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