Kuwait and Portugal have raised the minimum marriage age to 18 / Good news from SOS Children's Villages worldwide

Munich (ots) - There it is: the good news, the positive changes and upward trends for children and families. In a world that often reflexively focuses on the negative, SOS Children's Villages reports on what lifts us up in its Good News section. To protect underage girls and boys from early and forced marriages, Kuwait and Portugal have raised the legal minimum marriage age to 18.

Such legal reforms are important measures to combat child marriage. They help to legally protect children and young people from abuse, violence, and exploitation. In Kuwait, the legal minimum marriage age for girls was previously 15. In 2024, 1,145 marriages involving minors were registered there, including 1,079 girls and 66 boys. In Portugal, the minimum marriage age before the law was changed was 16—with parental or guardian consent. Between 2023 and the first half of 2025, 470 marriages were registered there, again predominantly involving girls.

Worldwide, around 12 million girls are affected by early and forced marriages, significantly more than boys. Most child marriages occur in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. Gender inequality, lack of access to education, and poverty are the main reasons why minors cannot make independent decisions about starting a family and leading a life. Forced marriages can have serious health and psychosocial consequences for children's development: For example, early pregnancies pose a high health risk for young mothers and their children. Children in forced marriages often live in social isolation, lack educational opportunities, and are exposed to domestic violence. For further information, please contact: Boris Breyer, Spokesperson for SOS Children's Villages Worldwide, Tel.: +49 160 984 723 45, Email: [email protected], www.sos-kinderdoerfer.de. Original content from: SOS Children's Villages Worldwide, Hermann Gmeiner Fund Germany eV, transmitted by news aktuell. Original report: https://www.presseportal.de/pm/1658/6035176