OK’d by 2nd reading at House: Support grows for bill banning child marriages

By Billy Begas

The proposal that will make child marriage illegal has moved closer to becoming a law with its approval on second reading by the House of Representatives.

Deputy Speaker and Bagong Henerasyon Rep. Bernadette Herrera is confident that the measure will be enacted into law before the term of President Rodrigo Duterte ends.

“It’s time to end child marriage, which is a form of violence against children,” said Herrera, author and sponsor of House Bill 9943.

Under the measure, the solemnization of child marriage and cohabitation of an adult with a child outside wedlock are considered unlawful acts.

A fine of at least P40,000 and jail term of up to 12 years await solemnizing officers, parents, guardians, or adults who fixed, facilitated, or arranged child marriage.

Herrera said “it was such a shame” that the Philippines ranked 12th worldwide in terms of absolute numbers of child marriage.

The 2013 National Demographic and Health Survey, Herrera said showed that 15% or approximately 700,000 women aged 20-24 years old were first married or in union before reaching the age of 18.

The Philippine Statistics Authority 2013 survey also showed that 12.2% of all registered marriages in the country involved teenage brides 15 to 19 years old.

“Hindi po ito maliit na bagay. Libo-libo ng ating kabataang babae ay napilitang ikasal, makipagtalik at mabuntis habang sila ay bata pa,” Herrera lamented. “It denies them of their childhood, it disrupts their education, and it limits their opportunities.”

Herrera also noted that no less the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and various other international human rights conventions declared child marriage as a fundamental human rights violation that has negative impacts on health and development of children.

“We believe that there is an urgent need for a national law explicitly prohibiting child marriage and providing programs and services for prevention and response, to ensure that all Filipino children—boys and especially girls—will have the opportunity to grow and develop to their full potential, and the chance to decide when and with whom to marry,” Herrera added.

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