Colombia bans child marriage to protect vulnerable girls and combat modern slavery
A landmark law banning child marriage in Colombia marks a significant step in protecting children’s rights.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has enacted Law 2447 of 2025, officially banning child marriage and early unions for minors under 18.
This historic law follows the Constitutional Court’s ruling upholding the ban. This aligns with international conventions protecting children’s rights.
Child marriage is a key driver of modern slavery in Colombia, disproportionately affecting girls from minority groups.
Child marriage fuels modern slavery and gender inequality
Harmful cultural practices, gender inequality, and restricted economic access for women contribute to child marriage risks.
An estimated 397,000 people in Colombia live in modern slavery, according to our latest Global Slavery Index.
This means that for every 1,000 people in the country, 7.8 people are living in modern slavery.
Colombia has the 5th highest prevalence of modern slavery in the Americas, following Venezuela, Haiti, El Salvador, and Guatemala.
Addressing the root causes of child marriage
Latin America and the Caribbean have the world’s 2nd highest rates of adolescent pregnancies.
In Colombia, child marriage has not significantly declined in 25 years, which reflects regional trends.
Over 4,400 pregnancies were reported among Colombian girls and adolescents from 2022 to 2023.
Almost 60 per cent of these pregnancies involved girls aged 10-14, often with adult men, which is a severe act of sexual violence.
Child marriage and early unions primarily affect children and young people from low socio-economic backgrounds, particularly Indigenous, Afro-descendant, Raizal, and Palenqueros communities in rural areas across 13 of Colombia’s 32 departments.
A national program to prevent child marriage
As part of Law 2447, Colombia will implement a national program, ‘Life Projects for Children and Adolescents’, to prevent child marriage and provide support for survivors.
The law also mandates awareness campaigns in high-risk regions to educate communities on the harms of child marriage and early unions.
The Court’s ruling reaffirmed that child marriage violates constitutional rights and aligned with international agreements such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
A victory for child protection in Latin America
The enactment of this law represents a victory for grassroots activism and collaboration across political parties in Colombia.
Female leaders, feminist collectives, and Indigenous advocates supported communities to bring this issue to national attention.
Colombia’s ban on child marriage sets an important precedent for Latin America, reinforcing the country’s commitment to safeguarding children’s rights and combating modern slavery.
