The major parties making up Germany's coalition government have agreed to a proposed law that would invalidate marriages involving children under 16.
Leaders of the Social Democrats (SPD) and Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservative Union parties said they had agreed on a proposed law to ban marriage for anyone under 18, according to a report on Tuesday by Die Welt.
A spokesperson from the Union parties also confirmed the agreement to DPA.
Currently, 18 is the minimum age for marriage, but with parental consent and court permission, 16-year-olds are allowed to marry adults.
Justice Minister Heiko Maas made the new proposal amid reports of hundreds of children arriving as refugees in Germany, already married to adults.
The proposed law would mean that marriages involving children under 16 would become invalid, including those performed abroad. The legal marriageable age is also planned to be raised to 18. [The Local] Read more
