
[En español abajo]
This legal research compares legislations on child marriage in seven Latin American countries.
Child marriage is a recurrent practice in conflict-affected, suburban and rural areas of Colombia. The country’s Civil Code allows children aged 14 years old or older to marry, with the consent of their parents, without limiting or conditioning the age of their prospective spouses. Consequently, children are married to adult partners, and many become victims of sexual violence and exploitation, and even modern slavery and human trafficking.
This new comparative legal analysis examines the laws of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, and Peru and highlights the differences in legal status of child marriage across Latin America. The research will enable organisations like Save the Children and Fundación Renacer to develop their understanding of child marriage legislation in countries with similar social and legal structures to Colombia, informing their advocacy on the subject.
The report is the result of collaboration between the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Fundación Renacer-ECPAT Colombia and Save the Children Colombia. The law firms involved in the project were Bruchou & Funes de Rioja (Argentina), coordinating law firm; Morgan & Morgan (Panama); Dentons Guevara & Gutierrez (Bolivia); Hogan Lovells (Mexico); Tozzini, Freire, Teixeira e Silva Advogados (Brazil); Baker & McKenzie LLP (Colombia); and Rodrigo Elias & Medrano (Peru).
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Esta investigación legal compara las legislaciones sobre matrimonio infantil en siete países de Latinoamérica.
El matrimonio infantil es una práctica recurrente en zonas suburbanas, rurales y afectadas por el conflicto armado en Colombia. El código civil colombiano permite el matrimonio de niñas y niños a partir de los 14 años de edad, con el consentimiento de sus padres, sin limitar o condicionar la edad de sus futuros contrayentes. Como resultado, niñas, niños y adolescentes se casan con adultos y muchos se convierten en víctimas de violencia y explotación sexual, e incluso esclavitud moderna y tráfico de personas.
Este nuevo análisis de derecho comparado estudia las leyes de Argentina, Bolivia, Brasil, Colombia, México, Panamá y Perú y resalta las diferencias del estatus legal del matrimonio infantil a través de América Latina. La investigación permitirá a organizaciones como Save the Children y Fundación Renacer desarrollar su entendimiento de la legislación sobre matrimonio infantil en países con estructuras sociales y legales similares a las de Colombia, y poder realizar una incidencia informada.
El informe es el resultado de una colaboración entre Thomson Reuters Foundation, Fundación Renacer-ECPAT Colombia y Save the Children Colombia. Las firmas que participaron del proyecto son Bruchou & Funes de Rioja (Argentina), firma coordinadora del proyecto; Morgan & Morgan (Panamá); Dentons Guevara & Gutierrez (Bolivia); Hogan Lovells (México); Tozzini, Freire, Teixeira e Silva Advogados (Brasil); Baker & McKenzie LLP (Colombia); y Rodrigo Elias & Medrano (Perú).
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