Solomon Islands girl calls for marriage age to be raised to 18
BY MORRIS NAFU
A young girl by the name of Annabell is calling for the marriage of girls in Solomon Islands to be raised to the age of 18.
Speaking at the International Children’s Day event at Multipurpose Hall yesterday, she voiced deep concerns about the early marriage age for girls in Solomon Islands, arguing that it hinders teenage girls from making informed decisions and leaves them vulnerable to exploitation.
Representing girls across the country, Annabell urges that the legal marriage age for girls be increased from 15 to 18, citing how parents and relatives often manipulate the current law for personal gain, denying girls autonomy.
“With the early marriage age, some parents and relatives take advantage to use it for their own without letting girls to make their own decisions,” she said.
Under the Islanders Marriage Act, the minimum age for marriage is 15, requiring parental consent up to 18 or judicial approval if unavailable.
In a coalition of charities report, it stated that one in five girls in Solomon Islands is married before the age of 18, and this increases to one in four in rural areas.
Around six percent of girls are married before the age of 15 in Solomon Islands.
Save the Children Advocacy and Research Director Jacqui Southey, in a statement, said there was widespread public support to increase the age.
“There was consensus between children and adults, parents and community members that children’s experiences should be playing with their friends, being at school, learning skills.
“They also thought that children getting married too young could lead to problems and we know that through the data that problems such as increased risk of domestic violence is a real concern, the inability to finish school, the inability to have good earnings prospects later in life and greater risk of exploitation,” Southey said.
However, customary marriages—rooted in indigenous traditions and linked to land inheritance—frequently involve girls under 15, complicating enforcement due to discrepancies between formal and traditional laws.
Legal inconsistencies further exacerbate the issue.
The Child and Family Welfare Act 2017 defines a child as under 18 but excludes those married, while the Penal Code (Amendment) (Sexual Offences) Act 2016 sets the age of consent for sexual activity at 15. These contradictions pose challenges for child protection.
In a related development, the government is composed to amend the Islanders Marriage Act 1945 to raise the marriage age to 18, aligning it with the voting age and international human rights standards.
Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade Peter Shanel Agovaka informed Parliament on August 4, 2025, that the change aims for compatibility with other laws.
“We currently allow marriage at 15 years old. We want to change that to 18, which is also the legal voting age. We are making this change so that it is compatible with other legal matters,” he said.
The push for reform is bolstered by alarming statistics from the “Endim Vaelens Agenstim Pikinini” report, revealing that one in five girls in Solomon Islands marry before the age of 18, with the rate rising to one in four in rural areas.
Advocates say the amendment will strengthen child protection measures nationwide.
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That’s why parents teaching should be a major concern in our country. Parents need to teach their children especially daughters the disadvantages of marrying at early age talk about the hardships that go along with married lives based on their experiences.