‘The people of Solomon Islands have spoken’

The Solomon Islands government is under scrutiny for its Marriage and Divorce Act, which allows early marriage at the age of 15 with parental consent.

A recent report titled Make it 18, led by a coalition of non-governmental organisations, including World Vision, Save the Children, and ChildFund, advocates for legislative change to protect children from the harms of early marriage.

The report calls for raising the legal age of marriage in the Solomon Islands from 15 to 18.

Rebekah Armstrong, World Vision’s Head of Advocacy and Justice, explained the impacts of child marriage during an interview with Pacific Mornings’ host William Terite.

"Article 10 of the Islanders’ Marriage Act says that no person can be married before the age of 15 with parental consent ... 26 per cent of children are married before the age of 18, and 6 per cent before the age of 15.

"There are just some really significant human rights impacts for children who are married as children, including higher rates of domestic violence, poor health outcomes, greater risks of poverty, and underweight children born from these marriages.”

'Make It 18' campaign calls to end child marriage and raise legal marriage age. Photo/Save the Children New Zealand/Amie Richardson.

A survey conducted by the coalition involved more than 200 participants, including children, parents, and faith leaders.

The findings were clear: the majority supported ending child marriage and raising the legal marriage age.

"The people of Solomon Islands have spoken ... this report shows overwhelmingly that children should not be married at 15 years old and that the age of marriage needs to be raised,” Armstrong said.

More than 140 children under the age of 18 shared their views in the survey on increasing the legal age of marriage.

Most young participants said that a higher marriage age would provide multiple advantages, including the opportunity to complete their education, enjoy their childhood, and develop essential life skills.

Additionally, both children and adults largely supported implementing penalties to deter child marriage, with a suggested fine of $5000 being the most common proposal.

The Solomon Islands Law Reform Commission is currently reviewing the Islanders’ Marriage and Divorce Act.

Armstrong says the coalition has developed 11 recommendations for the commission to consider when evaluating whether the marriage age should be raised to protect human rights.

"We need to define a child as a person under 18 years, establish legal marriage registration, remove parental and judicial consent for minors, and increase penalties for breaches of the law.

“There are some penalties currently for breaching this law, but they were made in 1945 and they need an amendment to be stronger so that there is a deterrent for children being married at very young ages in the Solomon Islands.”

Armstrong is hopeful for a “favourable response” from the Law Review Commission. Photo/Save the Children New Zealand/Amie Richardson.

Armstrong expressed cautious optimism that the government would take action, despite ongoing challenges.

"We understand from engagement with politicians and government that there is an appetite for changing this law, aligning it with international reviews and long-standing calls for reform.

"Any law change has to be paired with meaningful policy reform, programming, and allocated budgets... you can't just change a law overnight."

"There needs to be awareness-raising about why raising the age of marriage is important and engagement with elders and community members to drive this change,” Armstrong said.

ChildFund spokesperson Maria Trogolo echoed Armstrong’s sentiments, urging the government to invest in various policy interventions that protect children from violence and exploitation while promoting their rights and access to services.

A survey conducted by the coalition involved more than 200 participants, including children, parents, and faith leaders. Photo/Save the Children New Zealand/Amie Richardson.

"The report recommends not only an increase in the marriage age but also the introduction of age verification and proof of consent before marriage, as well as the roll-out of an education programme to help prevent child marriage,” Trogolo said.

Armstrong is hopeful for a “favourable response” from the Law Review Commission.

"This is the beginning of a long process, but one that could make a profound difference for children in the Solomon Islands.

“There needs to be a lot of support for the implementation of a big change like this because this has been the law, this has been the norm and it takes a long time to change a norm.”

Watch Rebekah Armstrong’s full interview below.