The law that seeks to ban child marriage in the Philippines was welcomed by the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), saying that this can be a step towards protecting children against the adverse long-term physical, psychological, and emotional effects of child marriage.
In an official statement, PCW said that the Republic Act No. 11596 was signed by President Rodrigo Duterte on Dec. 10, 2021, and was released on Jan. 6, 2022.
Under RA 11596, the facilitation and solemnization of child marriage, as well as cohabitation of adults with children shall be penalized.
“A law prohibiting child marriage is a significant stride in the Philippines, where one in six Filipino girls get married before reaching the age of 18. Currently, the country ranks 12th worldwide in terms of absolute number of child marriages and unions,” said PCW.
The Commission likewise reiterated that the law aims to conquer gender inequalities or norms that tend to diminish girls, normalize gender-based violence, and perpetuate patriarchal notions on control of women and girls’ sexuality.
“The passage of this law is timely given the rise in the number of teenage mothers during the pandemic,” said PCW.
The law will take effect within 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette.