Civil society, with the backing of the Attorney General Office, is calling for the end to the legalization of child marriages in the Dominican Republic.
As reported in Listin Diario, in the past 16 months (from January 2019 to April 2019) there have been 258 child marriages, or an average of 16 per month. In 2018 there were 186 and in the first four months of 2019 there have been 72, according to civil registry statistics at the Central Electoral Board (JCE). In all the cases, the female is younger. In most cases, the adult is many years older than the female. In recent cases, a 15-year old was married to a 62-year old man in Santiago de los Caballeros, in Jarabacoa, a 49-year old man was legally wed to a 16-year old, and in Moca, a 17-year old married a 44-year old man.
Dominican law allows a judge and parental permission to authorize the marriage of girls under 15 years to make it legal. It is common for parents to “sell” their daughters in order to resolve a financial problem.
The Civil Code establishes that men between 16 and 18 years old, or women between 15 and 18 years old may only get married with the consent of their parents. This must be in writing and notarized unless the person required to give this consent does so while attending the wedding ceremony. In the case of a man younger than 16 and a woman younger than 15, a judge may grant an exception for significant reasons. The significant reasons are not detailed in the code.
The Attorney General backs changing the legislation to make 18 years the minimum age for a legal marriage.
Save the Children civil society organization estimates that in the Dominican Republic child marriage impacts 27.5% of adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19 years. The 2014 EnHogar survey found that 12.5% of Dominicans between 20 and 49 years old were married or involved in a free union before the age of 15, and 37% had children before the age of 18. Save the Children has set up a page for signatures on change.org platform.
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Listin Diario
Acento
Save the Children Campaign
16 May 2019