MARRIAGE AGE AROUND THE WORLD

In several countries in the world,  customery or religious laws allow girls to marry before the age of 18 or in some cases 15, marry with parental consent and in some cases with judicial approval. In some parts of Ethiopia and Nigeria girls are allowed to marry before the age of 15 and in some cases even at the age of 7. In Niger and Chad over 70 percent girls are married before the age of 18. In USA a person can marry at the age of 16 with parental consent and below 16 can marry with parental consent and with judicial approval if found pregnant. While male marriage age is fixed between 18 and 21, the female marriage age is fixed between 16 and 18 in about 180 countries in the world. One country, Lebanon, allows girls to marry at the age of 9. In Iran the youngest marriage age for girls is 13 and boys 15. In Mali 39% girls are married before the age of 15.

In AD 1700 according to Roman law for marriage, the minimum age for girls was 12 and boys 14. In France, Spain, Luxembourg and Romania the minimum marriage age is fixed is 18 and if anyone want to marry before this age should obtain both parental consent and judicial approval. In Canada one shomarriageuld be 18 years old to get the  license. However marriage age varies in different territories of Canada. In some territories marriage age can be below 16 years with the consent of parents and judicial approval. That may said to go as low as 7.

During the Mourya period in India the marriage age of boys were 16 and girls 12. In British India child marriage age was fixed as 10 years in 1860. After independence in 1949 marriage age was raised to 16 and further increased to 18 in 1978. As per the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006 the existing marriage age in India is 21 years for male and 18 years for female.

K V George