In Colombia, child marriage, legal after the age of 14, has significantly impacted girls. Primarily in rural, Indigenous, and Afro-Colombian communities, approximately 4.5 million girls and women were married before the age of 18, with 1 million married before age 15.
About 23% of girls aged 15–19 were in unions or married, and 73% of girls aged 10–14 in unions were with men over 20, often leading to early pregnancy, school dropout, and increased vulnerability to violence.
Rates were higher in marginalized areas, reaching 40–65% in rural and Indigenous communities. The practice was enabled by a 137-year-old legal loophole in the Civil Code, allowing marriage for girls as young as 14 with parental consent.
In November 2024, Colombia’s Congress passed Law 2447, banning child marriage and early unions for those under 18 with no exceptions, following a 17-year advocacy campaign by groups like Girls Not Brides, Equality Now, and Plan International. The law, effective after President Gustavo Petro’s signature and a Constitutional Court ruling in 2025, also established a National Comprehensive Programme to address root causes like poverty and lack of education, marking a historic step toward protecting girls’ rights.
