Colombia outlaws child marriage after 17-year campaign
www.theguardian.com
Country closes 137-year legal loophole, becoming one of 12 in Latin America and the Caribbean to entirely ban marriage for minors

Summary

Colombia has banned child marriage after 17 years of advocacy and eight failed legislative attempts, closing a 137-year legal loophole that allowed minors to marry with parental consent or cohabit as informal spouses.

The new law, “They are Girls, Not Wives,” aligns Colombia with international standards and makes it one of 12 Latin American countries to entirely prohibit marriage under 18.

Advocacy groups celebrated the historic victory but emphasized the need for policies addressing poverty, machismo, and systemic inequalities that fuel child marriage, particularly in rural and Indigenous communities.

  • anon6789@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    9 days ago

    I saw the mention of it protecting abortion rights, but I was confused about that because as far as I know, nowhere requires someone to be married for abortions or any type of healthcare.

    The quotes and comments I saw made it sound like the stance was this doesnt happen enough we should risk losing any rights unnecessarily, but I feel there should have been some specifics mentions what those rights they’re protecting actually were. The stats seem all over the place too, from as low as IIRC around 50 child marriages since 2019 to an estimated 1600.

    This all seems like something people should have some real facts and figures on, but that I cant find them is really raising my eyebrows for a number of reasons.