Bill against forced-fed child marriage, approved

A bill criminalizing child marriage was unanimously approved by the Senate today, November 9, 2020.

It stands with the name of “Girls not Brides bill,” which connotes that an individual who forces a minor into marriage can be fined or sentenced to imprisonment.

Senator Risa Hontiveros, the principal author of the bill, said in plenary that forced-fed child marriage is a tragic reality for young girls that had no choice but to shelve their own dreams due to various economic circumstances and culture expectations.

Situations like this made them build families that they are not ready to raise and to end their childhood pursuits for the sake of their child.

She also stated that bill to safeguard every girls right to declare when they are ready and to give them a shot of both securing their own health and future.

"Today we give our girls a chance to dream, a chance to define their future according to their own terms," she adds.

Relatives of the girls ageing 17 and under who officiate or perform child marriage are deemed to suffer penalties such as a fine of at least P50,000 or imprisonment while non-relatives will face imprisonment and a fine not less that P40,000, the bill reads.

Record from the United Nations Population Fund shows that 1 in every 6 girls marry before they are of legal age and at least 26 percent of them are forced to enter marriage in the Philippines.

Photo from ABS-CBN News