Between 2017 and 2023, almost 850 young people aged 16 to 18 entered into marriage. This is a phenomenon that mainly affects girls and which is allowed despite the recommendations of international organizations that prohibit it in Portugal.
The data came from the Ministry of Justice, but was published today on the social network Instagram of the National Commission for the Promotion and Protection of Children and Young People (CNPDPCJ) as part of the project “Intercultural Approach to the Prevention of Harmful Practices” (IAPHP, in its acronym in English).
Statistics show that over these seven years, the Ministry of Justice registered 840 marriages in which the bride and groom were minors.
According to the IAPHP, “usually the minor is the bride,” adding that “in 2021, 74% of minors married were girls.”
From the published data, it can be seen that these figures have been increasing consistently year after year – with the exception of 2020, which coincides with the Covid-19 pandemic – and that on average there are 120 young people between the ages of 16 and 18.
In 2017, there were 113 marriages registered in which one of the bride and groom was under 18; in 2018, this number rose to 124, and in 2019, to 135.
In 2020, the movement is downwards: 79 weddings, which represents a decrease of 41.5%, which can be explained by the closure of a large part of the public services with in-person service in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The following year, the number of marriages increased again and 130 were registered, and in 2022 this figure will increase to 158 (+21%).
There are 101 marriages registered in 2023, but the count only covers the first six months of the year, so it could increase even more.
In the publication, the project claims that Portugal allows marriage at the age of 16 with parental consent or court permission, but recalls that there are several international organizations, such as UNICEF and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, that “put pressure on Portugal to abolish all exceptions that allow minors under 18 to marry.”
“Marriage with minors under 18 is a violation of children’s rights and should not be possible,” says the Portuguese UNICEF delegation mentioned in the project led by the Polytechnic Institute of Viseu.
However, within the framework of the National Strategy for Equality and Non-Discrimination for 2018-2030, one of the strategic goals is precisely “preventing and combating harmful traditional practices, namely FGM.” [mutilação genital feminina] and child, early and forced marriages.”
The draft also states that “Portugal is committed to eradicating child, early and forced marriage by 2030,” and the Penal Code already states that “forced marriage is a crime against personal liberty” that can be punishable by up to five years in prison.
The current government received a draft White Paper on child marriage from the previous leader, on which it conducted a survey with several organisations, with data collection completed on 9 April.
According to a source from the office of the Minister of Youth and Modernisation, Margarida Balseiro Lopes, 235 organisations responded to the survey and the findings are currently being incorporated into a White Paper by the Commission on Citizenship and Gender Equality (CIG).
The same source also said that the work should be completed in July and that the White Paper is expected to be released in October.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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