The government has committed to raising the minimum legal age of marriage to 18 in England and Wales in a victory for campaigners. “But while this is a huge step in the right direction, it remains imperative the government also makes child marriage a crime. Payzee Mahmod, a survivor of child marriage who was wed in London at the age of 16, said: “While I’m celebrating this news from the government, we now need to make sure every type of child marriage is banned. Latham said she was thrilled at the government’s response to her calls to end child marriage. She introduced a bill last year to raise the minimum legal age of marriage but its progress was stalled by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Source: The Guardian June 11, 2021 15:45 UTC