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Regulations

Child marriage laws

The repository of child marriage laws of the Gender Equality Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean gathers more than 30 normative bodies and legal rulings, classified by country, from 31 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, in addition to the legislation of Spain and Portugal on this issue.

These laws are classified into: those of countries that absolutely prohibit marriage before the age of 18; those that allow marriage from the age of 16 through judicial authorization or legal representatives; and finally, those that allow it before the age of 16 for qualified reasons.

Child marriage is currently prohibited in 9 countries in Latin America and 2 in the Caribbean. The last country to legislate this prohibition was the Dominican Republic in January 2021.

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  • 2004
    Chile

    Ley 19.947, establece nueva Ley de Matrimonio Civil

    El artículo 5 nº 3 de esta ley establece que no podrán contraer matrimonio los menores de 16 años.