Spain appears poised to raise the minimum marrying age from 14 to 16, in a move aimed at protecting children from forced marriages and exploitation.
On Tuesday a parliamentary justice commission passed new legislation under which 14- and 15-year-olds will no longer be able to marry. The draft law will now go to the senate for debate.
Under the existing legislation it is possible for a child from the age of 14 to enter into marriage with permission from a judge, while 16-year-olds can marry with parental consent. The age for marriage without consent in Spain is 18.
Spain announced earlier this month that it would be increasing the ages of consent to have sex or marry, which at 13 for sex and 14 for marriage were among the lowest not only in Europe, but across the world.
The United Nations Demographic yearbook 2013 published a table showing the minimum legal age at which marriage can take place both with parental consent and without.
In the UK it is possible for a person to get married or form a civil partnership if they are aged 16 or over – in England, Wales and Northern Ireland though, permission from parents or guardians is required, while in Scotland, the law has no requirement for parental consent.
The minimum age for marriage (where consent is required) and the process involved in seeking consent, whether it be from parents, court or ministry, depends on the country’s laws.
So, for example, it is possible in Sweden to marry below the age of 18 if given a special dispensation, but this is rare, while in Finland persons under the age of 18 are required to seek permission from the ministry of justice if they wish to enter into marriage.
Luxembourg is another European country which has seen a change to its marriage law recently. In June 2014, the Luxembourg government announced the right for gay couples to marry and adopt. It also declared that the legal marriage age for women would be raised from 16 to 18 – the same as for men.
