Today, the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022 comes into force.
I sponsored this piece of legislation through the House of Commons, and am delighted to welcome its commencement today.
This law bans child marriage in all its forms in England and Wales. From today, it is illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to be married in this country.
This includes registered and unregistered marriages, and even situations where children are taken out of the country to be married.
The parents, or those arranging the marriage, can be prosecuted and face up to 7 years in prison.
Child marriage is a scourge on our society. The victims have worse life chances, almost always leaving education immediately, and are much more likely to face domestic abuse, coercion, and physical and sexual violence.
This law puts child protection at the heart of our response. Unlike with forced marriage legislation, where in practice it was necessary for the child to testify against their parents in order to secure a conviction, this law is automatic. Anyone found to cause a child to enter into a marriage, whether or not the child allegedly ‘consented’, is breaking the law.
From today, I am working closely with the government and with charities who have supported this law, in order to spread the message as widely as possible.
Now, every teacher, doctor, police officer and carer needs to know that when you are faced with a case of child marriage – the law is on your side. No child should ever again face the prospect of being married under the age of 18 in this country.