Senate passes bill that declares child marriages illegal

November 12, 2020 01:47 PM

Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III, co-author of the "Girls not Brides" bill, passes the measure on third and final reading.

Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III co-authored a law that would criminalize child marriages in the Philippines. The Senate passed the bill on third and final reading. 

The measure was approved unanimously on final reading with 21 affirmative votes with no negative votes nor abstention.

Senate Bill No. 1373 or "Girls not Brides" bill reads "The prohibited act of child marriage, its facilitation, and solemnization, are considered public crimes and can be initiated by any concerned individual." 

Under the bill, anyone who forces or allows the act of marriage upon a minor (aged 17 below) will face imprisonment or be fined at least P50,000. Likewise, non-relatives who enable a said wedding may also be sentenced to prison, along with a  fine not less than P40,000.

Child marriages—a grim reality in the PH

In the Philippines alone, 1 in every 6 girls gets married prior to turning 18, according to a study from the United Nations Population Fund. Specifically, 15% of these Filipino girls are married before the age of 18, and 2% are wed before turning 15. And in these marriages, at least 26 percent of the child wives experience domestic violence.

According to a study by UNICEF, the Philippines ranks 12th for the highest number of child marriages in the world at 726,000. 

 Women in ARMM, MIMAROPA, and SOCCSKSARGEN marry sooner compared to those from other regions. 

Combined effort 

The bill also mandates several government agencies to create programs in their respective offices "to prevent and eventually end child marriages and protect the children from this form of abuse":

- Department of Social Welfare and Development

- Department of Justice

- Department of the Interior and Local Government

- Department of Education

- Department of Health

- Family And Executive Courts

- Philippine Commission on Women

- Commission on Human Rights

- National Commission on Muslim Filipinos

- National Commission for Indigenous People

- Council for the Welfare of Children