Senate OKs bill banning child marriage in Philippines
MANILA, Philippines — The Senate on Monday approved on third and final reading a measure criminalizing child marriage in the country, which has one of the highest number of underaged brides in the world.
An overwhelming 21-0 with no abstention secured Senate Bill no. 1373's passage in the upper chamber, which would send to at least six years in jail and impose a fine of P40,000 those who would arrange or facilitate a child marriage.
Parents or guardians of minors who would commit the crime will face 12 years imprisonment, a P50,000 fine as well as losing parental authority over the children.
The United Nations Population Fund in a policy brief had said that one in six Filipino girls are married even before they turn 18 or of legal age.
Another UN agency, the UNICEF, has said too that the Philippines accounted for 726,000 child brides in 2017, placing the country at the 12th spot globally.
Results of an Oxfam-led survey in 2019 on improving reproductive health in Mindanao showed 253 out of 1,058 were victims of child marriages, according to Sen. Risa Hontiveros, the main author of the bill.
She added that aside from poverty, the said practice has prevailed due to "social norms" in communities where women are regarded less than men.
"This gender inequality plays a key role in making girls disproportionately affected by this cultural practice," Hontiveros said. "Female children are falsely seen as contributing less to the household, and is expected to eventually leave to join the family of her husband making them of less value than male children."
The Philippine National Demographic Health Survey said too that about 26.4% of child brides were victims of physical, sexual or emotional violence.
Under the bill, government agencies would be required to come up with a comprehensive program to address and eventually put an end to the ongoing problem.
The National Commission on Muslim Filipinos is among the said bodies involved in the effort, with the measure mandating it to include programs that would increase Muslim communities' awareness on the impact and effects of child marriages in the health and development of children.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, as well as senators Leila de Lima, Joel Villanueva, Imee Marcos, Sonny Angara and Francis Pangilinan also co-authored the said bill.
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