Mihajlovic announces proposals to change laws and criminalize child marriage

Six percent of girls in the general population and 56 percent of Romani girls get married before they turn 18

Changes to three laws, which concern regulation of children's rights, will be proposed today, Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of Serbia and President of the Coordination Body for Gender Equality Zorana Mihajlovic has announced.

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"Child marriages, which represent a serious violation of children's human rights, exist in Serbia, both in the general and in the Romani population. That is why today we will propose amendments to three important laws, namely the Criminal Code because child marriage is a crime and should be recognized as human trafficking, the Family Law - to abolish the possibility of marriage before the age of 18, and the Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence, in order for child marital and common law communions to be recognized as a form of domestic violence," said Mihajlovic.

She said during the meeting of the National Coalition to End of Child Marriages that six percent of girls in the general population and 56 percent of girls from the Romani community get married before the age of 18, while one percent of girls in the general population and 13 percent in the Romani population get married before they turn 15.

"We must fight against that, because underage marriages affect the social welfare of a country. They stop the development and the future of every girl. The moment girls enter such communions, there face terrible risks to their health, inability to continue their education and they will not be able to be economically independent and dream of a better life. Today, we will present the changes to these three laws, together we will fight to create such a legislative framework, because that is the basis to continue to fight against child marriages, which stop the development of any child," she said.

Dejana Kostadinova, UNICEF director in Serbia, pointed out that a large number of women around the world and in Serbia still feel that they are denied basic human rights and that instead of focusing on education, girls experience childbirth and are exposed to trauma and abuse.

"The establishment of a national coalition is an important milestone and we should take action to end child marriages. There is increased mortality among these girls because their bodies are not sufficiently prepared and developed for these situations. Child marriages are often marked by trauma, which leads to creation of generational poverty. There is a need to revise the three laws, sanction perpetrators, we need to build the capacity of professionals and the law enforcement sector and for this change to happen, there must be a change among all men and women, and women must be supported, brave men must say, 'No.' It is necessary to establish a partnership with all actors, families, international and local organizations. I know this is a difficult task, but I know we can accomplish it. Let's stop child marriages," Kostadinova said.

During today's meeting of the National Coalition to End Child Marriages, a joint campaign "Childhood, Not Marriage" was announced, with the goal of raising public awareness about this problem.

(Telegraf.rs)