There have been 3,478 child marriages between 1996 and 2016, with 53 marriages up to last year as well, Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi has said.
But the gender disparity in the matter is huge, since 3,404 of the figure - 98 per cent - involved girl children and only 74, or two per cent, involved very young males, he added yesterday.
Speaking in Parliament, Al-Rawi cited survey information of a 13-year-old girl wed to a 23-year-old man, and a 15-year-old girl wed to a 42-year-old male. There were also cases of a fast food attendant marrying a 12-year-old girl and 13-year-old girl marrying “students”.
Al-Rawi gave the statistics as he launched debate on amendments to the Marriage Act. These seek to make the marriage age 18 across the board. The legislation will amend the Muslim, Hindu and Orisha marriage acts, which allowed for younger marriage ages from as low as 12 and 14 years for Muslim and Hindu girls respectively, and as low as 16 for Muslim boys.
Amendments also criminalise marriage officers conducting child marriages and allows marriages to be held up to 9 pm.
Al-Rawi said the survey over 1996 to 2016 showed the highest child marriages among the Hindu sector - 1,796. The lowest was among the Muslim faith - 526. Among Christians, the level was 1,156 for the 10-year period.
He, however, said the phenomenon was not a Hindu, or Muslim one, since Christians fall in the same category also.
“There’s been unfortunate painting (of the situation) that this was owned by Hindus and Muslims and that’s not so.
“Nor is it a rural phenomenon, it’s very much an urban phenomenon - Port-of-Spain, San Fernando, San Juan,” Al-Rawi added.
Analysis of the 3, 478 marriages showed 13-year, 14-year-old and 15-year-old girls being married to security guards and labourers. Other occupations of males ranged from gardener, salesman and joiner, to welder, driver, watchman, soft drink salesman and tile layer.
11-year-olds getting abortions
Al-Rawi said T&T also has a large occurrence of teen pregnancies. Survey information over 1995 to 2015 showed 15,231 live births to children, including a 13-year-old having a child for a 55-year-old man.
“The age gap between some mothers and fathers was startling.”
Information also included a 13-year-old having a child for a 24-year-old and a 15-year-old girl having a child for a 36-year-old man.
Al-Rawi said information also showed 173 abortions were sought in 2016 by children ages 11 to 16. These were reported from hospitals in Port-of-Spain, San Fernando, Mt Hope and Tobago. It did not include “backstreet” abortion figures.
Al-Rawi said arguments on the child marriage issue in a democratic society involved religious belief versus religious convention and the state looked to balancing the rights of people. He questioned what the educational and developmental future of a 13-year-old girl who married a labourer or gardener for instance would be.
Opposition MP Barry Padarath, speaking after, said the Opposition supports making the marriage age of 18. But Padarath expressed concern that Al-Rawi initially said the legislation required a special majority vote for passage, then later changed this.
Noting concerns that Government wanted to do away with the special majority requirement, Padarath queried who had given the AG the legal advice on the matter.
