Twenty-one marriages involving 16- and 17-year old brides were registered in Malta over the past decade, according to figures obtained from the National Statistics Office.
Out of the 21 teen brides, 18 were Maltese and three were foreign, according to the NSO statistics that include marriages registered in Malta that could have occurred overseas between 2008 and 2017. Figures for 2018 are still being compiled.
The data was requested after the United Nations’ Committee for the Rights of the Child recommended that Malta’s marriage law should be amended not to allow teenagers under 18 to get married.
When opening up the data to marriages involving spouses between 16 and 18 (including 18-year olds), the figures increase to 98 marriages registered in Malta – meaning 77 unions involving 18-year olds between 2008 and 2017. Out of the 98, 90 were females and 77 Maltese.
According to the Maltese marriage law, enacted in 1995, marriage is not allowed under the age of 16. The law allows 16- and 17-year olds to marry if they have the consent of a parent or guardian.
Amongst the various recommendations, the UN report said the Maltese government should amend the Marriage Act and the Civil Unions Act “to remove all exceptions that allow marriage and entering into a civil union under the age of 18 years.”
Minors may not have enough maturity to make the right choice
This recommendation was backed by Children’s Commissioner Pauline Miceli.
“The age of marriage should be raised from 16 to 18 as minors may not have enough maturity to make the right choice for themselves in terms of whether they should get married or to whom; they can be unduly susceptible to external pressures and the challenges of married life may be too hard for them to manage,” she said.
“They are also likely to suffer an opportunity cost to their personal, educational and occupational development as a result of getting married before attaining the age of majority.”
Asked if there are plans to amend the law as recommended by the United Nations, a spokeswoman for the Ministry for the Family, Children’s Rights and Social Solidarity said government is “currently reviewing the report and its recommendations. Any amendments which will improve children’s rights would be taken into consideration.”
Were you one of these teen brides? Or, perhaps, a friend or relative of someone who got married so young? If you’d like to share your experience or thoughts, make your voice heard and contact claudia.calleja@times ofmalta.com. You can choose to remain anonymous.