Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022
The Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022 came into force on Monday 27 February 2023, varying the minimum age of marriage. The Act is long overdue and is very much welcomed by divorce lawyers in England and Wales.
Traditionally, the minimum age of marriage was 12 for a woman and 14 for a man. When the Ages of Marriage Act 1929 came into force, it raised the minimum age of marriage in the UK to 16, on condition that parental consent was obtained from each child’s parent or guardian.
The introduction of the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Minimum Age) Act 2022 is intended to safeguard children from forced marriages and the related risk of exploitation, by raising the current legal age from 16 to 18 years old, irrespective of parental consent. To be clear, forced marriage is when you face physical pressure to marry (for example, threats, physical violence or sexual violence) or emotional and psychological pressure.
It is now no longer possible for anyone under 18 to marry or enter a Civil Partnership. Indeed, it will be a criminal offence for anyone under 18 to enter a marriage, and there will be no longer be the necessity to find evidence of coercion.
Further, any person who even attempts to organise a marriage where someone is under 18 will commit an offence under section 121 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. This includes actions such as booking a church, or other venue for the purpose of a marriage.
Though guidance has been organised for many organisations, to include educational organisations, it is vital that children, parents, grandparents, educators and other professionals know about this alteration in law and understand that child marriage is illegal in England and Wales. Therefore, if you require any help, or assistance on this issue, or any issue relating to a family matter, to include divorce, nullity, or financial matters connected to divorce, please do not hesitate to contact our specialist divorce lawyers here at
Adams Harrison, 14 – 16 Church Street, Saffron Walden, Essex, CB10 1JW,
Adams Harrison, 52a High Street, Haverhill, Suffolk, CB9 8AR,
or
Adams Harrison, 43 High Street, Sawston, Cambridge, CB22 3BG,
and ask to speak to our expert lawyers Shoshana Goldhill, Emma Bilsborrow, or Kerri Westlake.
