LONDON, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- A call for the age of marriage in Britain to be raised to 18 was proposed Wednesday in the House of Commons.
Lawmaker Mrs Pauline Latham, a member of the ruling Conservative Party, put forward a new bill calling on British Prime Minister Theresa May's government to make the change.
Currently in Britain, people are allowed to marry without consent of their parents at the age of 18, but if their parents agree, teens can marry at the age of 16.
For centuries it has led to hundreds of young couples eloping across the English border to Scotland to marry in the blacksmith's workshop at the world famous Gretna Green. At the time 16 and 17 years old did not need parental approval if they married in Scotland.
Many people over the age of consent still head to Gretna Green because of its long-standing link with romance and runaway lovers.
Latham told MPs at Westminster that young people in Britain have to stay in education or training until they are 18, although they can marry before that, at the age of 16, but only with parental consent.
She said UNICEF believes that marriage before the age of 18 is a fundamental violation of human rights.
"I agree, and believe that it should be banned in this country," she said.
Britain's Department for International Development has already allocated 50 million U.S. dollars to support global efforts in preventing child marriages.
"By its proactive contribution, the UK recognised that child marriages resulted in early pregnancy and girls facing social isolation, interrupted schooling, limited career and vocational opportunities, as well as the increased risk of domestic violence. So why are we not leading the way by increasing the legal age of marriage in this country from 16 to 18--the recognised age of adulthood?" she told MPs.
She said under UN sustainable development goals, states around the world have pledged to end by 2030 marriages in which one or both spouses are under 18, but many Commonwealth countries still follow the legal lead of Britain.
Latham recalled how campaigners fought for a marriages law in Britain in the 1920s, saying that until then there was no defined minimum age at which people could marry.
"90 years ago, most young people would have been wage earners, unlike now when, in England, they must stay in full-time education, training or start an apprenticeship. None of these is compatible with a married environment. My own mother, along with very many others, began her working life after leaving school at 14. Life was very different in those days," she said.
She added: "Marriage is a major life decision for which children are not emotionally and physically ready. Setting the minimum age of marriage at 18 provides an objective, rather than subjective, standard of maturity, which safeguards a child from being married when they are not physically, mentally or emotionally ready."
Her proposed government bill is scheduled to return to the House of Commons on October 26.
