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The marriage age varies between countries and people depending on national, religious and tradition standards.

In Armenia, the Family Code sets the age of marriage at 18 years. Except, the person can also get married at the age of 17 with the consent of the parents, adoptive parents and guardian. A person can get married at the age of 16 with the consent of the parents, adoptive parents and guardian, and when the other side getting married is an adult.

On May 2, the deputy Rustam Bakoyan organized a discussion in parliament on the issue of changing the marriage age with the participation of the representatives of the concerned departments.

According to the Head of the Civil Status Acts Registration Agency of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia Arman Avetisyan, in 2017, 15285 marriages were registered in Armenia, in 76 of which there were persons under the age of 18. Out of 76, 73 were female. In 2021, 17000 marriages were registered, in 54 of which - persons under the age of 18. Out of 54, 53 were female.

The Head of the Mother and Child Healthcare Department at the RA Ministry of Health Nune Pashayan noted that the pregnancy of girls under the age of 18 causes many problems. The woman is not ready for pregnancy until she is 18 years old. Possible dangers threaten both the woman and the fetus and the baby.

Due to national and religious habits, girls leave the school at an early age: the child’s right to compulsory education is violated. The participants recorded that boys enrolled in schools also do not attend a school because of agricultural work, as well as various other reasons.

“The issue of early marriages is topical, based on the studies by the Human Rights Defender’s Institution. It continues to create risks of violations of fundamental rights, such as rights to education and healthcare, and issues related to the reproductive health,” the RA Human Rights Defender Kristinne Grigoryan said. The Human Rights Defender always pays attention to the issues of the realization of the rights of national minorities.

According to the Head of the Ethnic Minorities and Religious Affairs Division of the RA Prime Minister’s Staff Vardan Ascatryan, 20 million AMD is annually allocated from the state budget for national minorities to non-governmental organizations carrying out activities to preserve the identity of ethnic communities, to resolve the issues related to the development of their culture and language. The money is distributed by the Council of National Minorities.

As Vardan Ascatryan presented, visits to the settlements of national minorities are made twice a year, the problems existing in the communities are discussed.

During the discussion, the Head of the Department for Project Development and Monitoring of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia Robert Stepanyan referred to the issue of girls being left out of the education system, the opportunities for compulsory education and further professional education.

“We do not even have rules for organizing the education of married children in the educational system. Of course, new educational programs and standards give an opportunity to ensure sufficient diversity. However, the issue has been left out of the settlement,” Robert Stepanyan said.

In Astghik Minasyan’s opinion, the Advisor/Coordinator of the Separate Structural Subdivision at the RA Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, early marriage is not a tradition, but a stereotype. She highlighted the work of non-governmental organizations with the communities, schools and families.

Summarizing the discussion, Rustam Bakoyan noted that as a result of the research, actively cooperating with the representatives of the concerned departments, a relevant decision on the need to change the marriage age will be made.