Manila: Philippines Government made child marriage illegal on Thursday as a law banning the practice which took effect in this country where one in six females enters wedlock before the age of 18.
The 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 inequalities hindering change. But the 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 also face the same penalty.
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The government says the law is consistent with international conventions on the rights of women and children. ‘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 stated. 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.
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