Petition · past parliament
Ban Child Marriage in the UK now!
Rejected
12 signatures
What the petition asks
Heather Barr, a Senior Researcher for Human Rights Watch recently spoke with a Bangladeshi government official about banning child marriage. his rebuttal: "But child marriage is legal in the UK—so why shouldn’t it be allowed here?”
It is impossible for the UK to advocate for an end to child marriage when we still allow child Marriage in the UK.
The minimum age of marriage is 18 and young people aged 16 and 17 can be married with parental permission. However the UN define Child marriage as a formal marriage or informal union before age 18.
The UK is in breach of international laws prohibiting child marriage, making it more difficult for campaigners to prohibit child marriage, both in the UK and internationally.
Remove the caveat that 16 and 17 year old young people can marry with parental consent from British law.
The minimum age of marriage is 18 and young people aged 16 and 17 can be married with parental permission. However the UN define Child marriage as a formal marriage or informal union before age 18.
The UK is in breach of international laws prohibiting child marriage, making it more difficult for campaigners to prohibit child marriage, both in the UK and internationally.
Remove the caveat that 16 and 17 year old young people can marry with parental consent from British law.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
Timeline
| 2 Feb 2017 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 6 Feb 2017 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
12
Status
Rejected
Rejected
6 Feb 2017
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.