History is made today: Colombia passes bill to eradicate child marriage

Colombian politicians recently approved a bill to ban child marriage in the country after 17 years of campaigning by rights groups and eight failed attempts to push legislation through the House and Senate. The process lured controversies and opposition.

But on November 13, after 5 hours of heated debate, Colombia finally passed the proposed legislation to prohibit the marriage of anyone under the age of 18. Colombia has become one of 12 countries in the region to have entirely banned child marriage.

Jennifer Pedraza, co-author of the bill, noted that Colombia is “making history” because for the first time, the country has managed to ban the shameful practice. She called it a great message in terms of respect for the rights of boys and girls.

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By passing the proposed legislation, Colombian politicians ended a 137-year-old loophole in the civil code that permitted under-18s to get married if their parents consented. There are 4.5 million girls in Colombia married before 18 – one in four people.

Rights groups campaigned for 17 years to end the practice but bills could not pass. The opposition cited tradition and parental rights, and many representatives of Colombia’s more than 100 Indigenous communities also opposed it.

Studies suggest child marriage is strongly connected to poverty and oppressive relationships. Children marrying at a young age are more likely to have an early pregnancy and die in childbirth, drop out of educational institutions, and face domestic violence.