Marrying a minor will no longer be possible in Finland. The Ministry of Justice announced on Thursday the Government's decision to ban the marriage of under-aged in a press release.
This decision implies that the procedure for granting dispensations for under-age persons to marry will be abolished. The amendment will enter into force on 1 June 2019. In the future, only persons who have reached the age of 18 years will can marry, stresses the Governmental release.
Until now, the Marriage Act has allowed the Ministry of Justice to grant, for special reasons, a dispensation for a person under 18 years of age to marry. This procedure will now be abolished. Behind the reform is the need to protect the best interests of the child, says the Ministry of Justice.
The parliamentary reply regarding the government proposal includes three resolutions of Parliament. In the resolutions, Parliament requires, among other things, that a need to reform the regulation governing the recognition of under-age marriages concluded abroad should be examined.
The President of the Republic is expected to approve the bill on Friday 15 March.
