AMERICA/BRAZIL - Early Marriages: still half a million young newlyweds between 15 to 17 years of age

Monday, 14 September 2015

Brasilia (Agenzia Fides) - About 90,000 children between 10 and 14 years of age were duly married in Brazil in 2010, while another half a million got married between 15 and 17. This is what emerged from a study just released in the Country's capital, Brasilia.
The study was carried out by the Institute Promundo, Brazilian NGO, along with the United Nations Fund for Children and the US nonprofit Foundation Ford, referring to the national census of 2010 and to an independent research centered in particular in the States of Pará, in the north, and Maranhao, northeast. These two regions of Brazil, which are among the poorest in the Country, are the ones where there is the highest incidence of child marriage and among adolescents, which in many cases are due to economic and cultural problems. According to the Brazilian legislature, 18 is the legal age to get married in the Country. However, the law provides some exceptions, such as the consent of the parents of the couple in the age group between 16 and 18 or a judicial and family authorization if you are pregnant. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 14/09/2015)


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