So marriage for under 18's is child abuse [Edited by MNHQ at OP's request]

[averylongtimeago]

metro.co.uk/2021/06/11/england-minimum-legal-age-to-marry-set-to-be-raised-to-18-14755845/?ito=facebook%7Csocial%7Cmetroukfacebook&fbclid=IwAR31LtTF8bXW-puruYW-sciIFpLoYsv0KsLptgQNJi2lZdfSFzQKRDdaWnc

So if teenage marriage is child abuse, how can teens consent to medical treatment?

Sorry about the Metro link!

Sorry the title should read "under 18's" I have asked mnhq to edit it for me

I assume this isnt a serious question?!

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/minimum-legal-age-to-get-married-set-to-rise-to-18-lwhkfttmw

There is a Times article if anyone has a token 🙏

People could still pop over to Scotland though I guess.

Not surprising really. 16/17 year olds used to be treated more like young adults. Now they're regarded as children, and this change reflects this.

Share token for the Times:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/1ab2d386-cab2-11eb-b255-82dcc5007185?shareToken=130ac68cfbb3dabea8227acdd0fbc9f8

Thank you.

Haven't read the article but this is about protecting young people from forced marriages. I started a thread about this a while ago which had quite a few responses as it isn't clear how raising the age to 18 would stop forced marriages.

Personally I think it is crazy that anyone as young as 16 is getting married and would hope that the stupid culture we live in that still pushes people to think this is something to aspire to, will eventually stop peddling the myth.

In the meantime if you have a better suggestion as to how to stop arranged / forced marriages I suggest you get in touch with the campaign and MPs who think this is the way to do it.

Earlier thread www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4237286-Child-marriage-in-the-UK-continues-because-of-legal-loophole

It seems a sensible thing to do.
Getting married at 16 isn't something that should be promoted.

Well,...as a medical professional, someone is not fully competet to consent untill they are 18 (and don't have an court statement about being mentally incapible) under 18s are assessed whether or not they are 'gillick competent' for sensitive things like birth control, pregnancy etc... but they are treated differently under medical law so.... not a great comparison.

@Bramblecrumble

Well,...as a medical professional, someone is not fully competet to consent untill they are 18 (and don't have an court statement about being mentally incapible) under 18s are assessed whether or not they are 'gillick competent' for sensitive things like birth control, pregnancy etc... but they are treated differently under medical law so.... not a great comparison.

For a medical professional you have a very shaky, to the point of non-existent, grasp of the law about competency to consent to medical treatment.

18 is the age pushed for by WHO and other orgs. To prevent child marriage etc.

I can't see a problem with moving marriage to 18.

I would not be a fan of changing the age of consent though. The law is worded to protect already. And from a pragmatic perspective even if it were desirable the police don't do anything eg Rotherham etc.

The medical comparison is very silly.

I do find the idea ridiculous that people are thought capable of consenting to get married (a legal commitment with many ramifications) before we think they're cognitively developed enough to play Grand Theft Auto.

I don't really get that either tbh.

Marriage is supposed to be nice and happy. GTA is not, I've heard!

The army point is a more pertinent one.

I think this is really good for Asian communities, actually. It would help those girls who have to deal with forced marriages.

Stumbled in Sorry, I missed your post when I wrote mine. I was talking about girls who are under 18. It would stop them or at least delay them, I guess with the hope that they have more rights as an adult. Although we all know that adults get forced into marriage too. A friend of mine was forced into a marriage. It was horrific.

I know it's not the question, but i think raising the age is a really good idea, it helps protect vulnerable girls.

@WarOnWoman

I think this is really good for Asian communities, actually. It would help those girls who have to deal with forced marriages.

That's already against the law though and nothing much happens.

I suspect the numbers of 16 and 17 yo getting married in the UK is very very low.

It's more to say yes we agree with the WHO etc to support them iyswim

@NiceGerbil

18 is the age pushed for by WHO and other orgs. To prevent child marriage etc.

I can't see a problem with moving marriage to 18.

I would not be a fan of changing the age of consent though. The law is worded to protect already. And from a pragmatic perspective even if it were desirable the police don't do anything eg Rotherham etc.

The medical comparison is very silly.

I would like to change the age of consent along the lines of a 16 and 17/18 year old can have consensual sex, but not a 16 year old and a 21/25/50 year old.

I think there are some countries which have something similar?

Latest figures from the ONS show 43 teenage boys and 140 teenage girls were married with parental consent in 2017, though it is thought the recorded data does not reflect the number marrying in non-legal religious and customary ceremonies.

Official figuresof those marrying at 16 and 17 in England and Wales have fallen steadily over the years, with 43 teenage boys and 140 teenage girls marrying with parental consent in 2017. Scottish law allows marriage from age 16 without parental consent, but numbers are low, with just 118 16-19-year-olds marrying in 2019

I don't see any point in raising the age to 18. The numbers getting married are tiny. There is existing legislation banning forced marriage- enforce it properly.

I explained just now why we would do it. It may help those small number of children in some way. But more than that. It's a statement of supporting the age that the WHO etc are pushing for around the world. It's a sign that we strongly support the fight against child marriage.

It's a ridiculous idea. It would make no difference whatsoever to forced "marriage" which happen at the moment but which are not marriages recognised by UK civil law.

The current numbers of that age group are tiny but forced marriage is a massive problem? If that's true then it must involve over 18 year olds. Enforcing the existing law is the answer.