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Child marriage laws

Country

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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  • 2002
    Saint Kitts and Nevis

    Chapter 12.09, Marriage Act

    Section 28(3) states that a marriage solemnised between persons either of whom is under the age of sixteen shall be void: provided however that the Attorney-General or his or her representative may, in his discretion, if, for serious reasons, he or she considers it to be in the interest of the intending spouses so to do, grant a licence to marry to any person under the age of sixteen but over the age of fifteen. Finally, section 28(1) states that the age of consent for marriage is 18 years old.
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