Raising the legal age of marriage to 18

By Charles Gladden

Belize City, Thursday, August 8, 2024

On Wednesday, August 8, the National Commission for Family and Children (NCFC) held a consultation with the National Commission for Women to end child marriage and legislate to make the legal age of marriage 18 years across the board.

The Belize Marriage Act of 2011 sets the minimum age for unmarried men and women at 18 years; however, in some rural communities in Belize, children (mainly girls) are married as early as 13 years old.

“Under current Belizean law, you can get married in Belize with parental consent, but we do not believe that parents should consent to someone getting married at 16. We believe that since marriage is a contract, it should be entered into by 18-year-olds, the minimum age should be 18. That is what this campaign is about,” said Human Development Minister Dolores Balderamos Garcia.

Minister Balderamos García noted that in the past, young girls would be married as per the norm, but in the 21st century, times have changed.

Thea García Ramírez, president of the National Women’s Council, said the idea was raised during the last session of the Children’s Parliament, when children made presentations and debated on the topic.

“Children are not allowed to vote; they are not allowed to buy cigarettes; they are not allowed to drink alcohol. I don’t know why we allow them to get married; they are not prepared to enter into a (legal) contract. It is hard enough for adults to stay married. I don’t know why children are expected to understand the consequences of a lifelong contract,” she said.

Garcia Ramírez explained that marrying girls too young harms their child development and forces them into adulthood.

“If kids are in a stable relationship at 13/14, chances are they’re not going to finish school; if they finish primary school, they’re not going to high school. They start a family, have kids, and then they start working. So their lifetime earnings are severely impacted because they don’t get enough education,” she notes.

Minister Valderamaos García believes that if the bill becomes law, there will be no actual punishment for previous incidents, just that such marriages will not be publicly accepted.