A legal loophole that allows 16- and 17-year-olds to marry with parental consent is being exploited and used to coerce young people into child marriage, campaigners have warned. More than 20 organisations have signed a letter to the prime minister insisting current forced marriage law does not go far enough in protecting young people.

Furthermore, there is no legal provision to prevent religious or customary child marriages from taking place – at any age.

In a letter to Boris Johnson, four co-chairs of the Girls Not Brides UK partnership wrote: “Child marriage is often viewed as a ‘developing world issue’ and one that exclusively takes place overseas. The reality is that child marriage is an invisible but thriving issue in the UK today.”

Read the full article from the The Guardian below:

Source: Child marriage ‘thriving in UK’ due to legal loophole, warn rights groups