The government says the changes will help protect vulnerable children from being forced into marriage.
The changes do not apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland, where the minimum age for marriage will remain 16. In Northern Ireland parental consent is required for those under 18 but not in Scotland.but with the devolved government not currently functioning legislation cannot be brought forward.Campaigner Payzee Mahmod is a survivor of child marriage and her sister Banaz was murdered in a so-called honour killing after leaving her husband, who she was forced to marry at the age of 17.
"I've personally been through it, I've seen my sister go through it. And I've seen the devastating impacts that it can have for so many women and girls. However, campaigners believe official figures do not reflect the true scale of the problem as other victims may not have been able to reach out for support.The charity Karma Nirvana, which supports victims of forced marriage, hopes the new law will help increase identification and reporting of child marriage.
However, Mihai Bica, from the Roma Support Group, said he was concerned about how the changes would be communicated to communities and those enforcing the new law.
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