A new law increasing the legal age of marriage has come into force in England and Wales.
The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022 has updated the minimum age of marriage to 18 years old. People in England and Wales had previously been able to get married at 16 and 17 if they had parental consent and there was no law against ceremonies for younger children which were not registered with local councils.
The government has now confirmed the update has come into force to protect vulnerable children from being forced into marriage. A government statement said: "This means that 16 to 17-year-olds will no longer be able to marry or enter a civil partnership under any circumstances, including with parental or judicial consent from 26 February 2023.
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"It will not be possible for anyone under 18 to marry or enter a civil partnership after this date." Forced marriage was previously only an offence if the person uses a type of coercion or if the person lacks capacity to consent to marry under the Mental Capacity Act.
The new act has now made it an offence in all circumstances to do anything intended to cause a child to marry before they turn 18. Anyone found guilty of the offence could be jailed for up to seven years.
The changes have not come into force in Scotland and Northern Ireland where the minimum age remains at 16. Parental consent is required in Northern Ireland for those under 18, but it is not in Scotland.
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