Coming of Age: The Adoption of 18 as the Legal Minimum Age of Marriage

This article explores the evolution of international law regarding the<br/>minimum legal age for marriage, highlighting existing discrepancies and<br/>gaps. Although several treaties indirectly address child marriage, only the<br/>Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against<br/>Women explicitly mentions ‘child marriage’, albeit without specifying a<br/>minimum age. Conversely, the Convention on the Rights of the Child<br/>defines the term 'child' but does not address marriage. Through an analysis<br/>of the relevant treaties, comments from treaty bodies, and practices, the<br/>article identifies 16 as the current de facto minimum legal age for marriage,<br/>with a movement towards 18 years of age.