LONDON: A legal loophole that allows children aged 16 and 17 in England and Wales to marry with parental consent is being exploited to coerce children into marriages they do not want, rights campaigners have warned.
Some 20 organizations have signed a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling for the forced marriage law to be strengthened to protect children.
They say there is no legal provision across Britain to prevent religious child marriages from taking place regardless of age.
Campaigners from the Girls Not Brides UK partnership wrote: “Child marriage is often viewed as a ‘developing world issue’ and one that exclusively takes place overseas. The reality is that child marriage is an invisible but thriving issue in the UK today.”