Government starts parliamentary debate on child marriages

Parliament has heard the second reading of a bill that will prohibit all marriages involving people under the age of 18.

The bill removes the current legal provision that allows minors to marry with the consent of parents or legal guardians. Under the proposed amendments, no exceptions will be permitted for civil, religious, or cultural marriages involving anyone under 18.

The reform follows recommendations from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, which urged Malta to remove legal exceptions allowing child marriage. 

In 2023, Malta was shocked by a case where an underage girl was forced to get married for €5,000.

Parliamentary Secretary for Reforms Rebecca Buttigieg, who presented the bill, said the changes are intended to ensure that marriage is entered into freely and with full maturity.

Buttigieg explained that while the law previously allowed underage marriages in exceptional circumstances, this provision was open to abuse. She also noted that child marriages can negatively affect young people’s development, particularly their education.

The bill will also cover informal or traditional unions that are not legally registered but involve minors, particularly where there are concerns about forced or arranged marriages within foreign communities. Buttigieg stressed that the reform is not intended to single out any group, but to ensure the same protections apply to all children living in Malta.

Meanwhile, the PN’s spokesperson for human, civil, and children’s rights Graziella Attard Previ welcomed the bill, stating that the opposition agrees with the principles laid out.

She noted that children who are forced into marriage are exposed to increased risks. 

Attard Previ explains that these victims, most of them girls, are forced to drop out of school and are less likely to enter the workforce. This means that the victims will increasingly rely on their partners throughout their lives.

She further stressed assurances that such marriages should not take place secretly, as the shadow minister called for educational campaigns to make sure that everyone is fully aware of their rights.