Child marriage is the betrothal of girls and boys below the age of 18.
[1] In the Ivory Coast, child marriage is a prevalent issue within the country and affects millions of residents on a day-to-day basis.
[2] Recent efforts have been done to reduce its presence within the country, however, a lack of funds and unregistered births have significantly hindered its progress[3] and progress has stagnated in recent years.
[4] Under Marriage Act 1983, in the Ivory Coast it is illegal in for a marriage to occur for a man under the age of twenty and a woman under the age of eighteen, but a public prosecutor can grant an exception to this law with parental consent.
[7] In 2019, the Council of Ministers of Côte d’Ivoire has approved a bill to amend marriage law and make the age of consent eighteen for both sexes, prevent prosecutors from granting exceptions, and ensure stricter standards on verification of the ages of the parties to be married.