What is the new age to get married?

Trinidad and Tobago law sanctions 12-year-old girls and 14-year-old boys to enter into wedlock, a report said.

Trinidad and Tobago law "sanctions" 12-year-old girls and 14-year-old boys to get married, a report said.

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The report, undertaken by the Trinidad and Tobago Coalition of the Right of the Child (TTCRC), quoted Chapter 45:01 of the Marriage Act, which "states" that males must be at least of 14 years and females at least of 12 years, to get married.

"This Act clearly sanctions child marriage and fails miserably to protect girls in particular. Further, the disparity in the age between males and females across the Marriage Act, Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act, the Hindu Marriage Act and the Orisa Marriage Act signals discrimination against young women in particular," the report said.

These laws are in violation of two United Nations Conventions that have been ratified by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, it claimed.