Colombia ranks 20th globally in adolescents marriage rates according to Equality Now.org. Child marriage is a violation of human rights, it puts young girls at risk for safety, domestic violence, sexual assault, and school dropout. Safety wise child marriage allows for early pregnancies which is extremley dangerous to a young girls body and health. Childbirth is the leading cause of death among girls aged 15-19. There are an estimated 21 million girls who are forced to give birth in a low income country which then causes a potentially unsafe environment for a baby/child.

 Child marriage in Colombia is typically between an older man and a young girl. Both the Committee on Rights of the Child, and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women helped pass NO.31 which states that a person under the age of 18 cannot get married even with parental permission because it causes school dropout, health risks, and a lack of development. Globally, girls married before the age of 15 are almost 50% more likely to have experienced either physical or sexual intimate partner violence than those married after 18 according to GirlsNotBrides.org. Child marriage is forced marriage and is typically rooted in gross gender stereotypes that view woman and girls as inferior to men and boys. Removing the rights to child marriage allows girls to make decisions about their own futures and lives. 

This success did not however come easy, this was the ninth bill that addressed child marriage, and the civil society in Columbia has fought for the protection of women and girls relentlessly. This law will make the minimum age for marriage 18, when previously children as young as 14 were able to be married. Different countries have different laws when it comes to child marriage. For example some countries have child marriage as a criminal offense where others just prohibit it with no repercussions if it does evadentially happen. All though Colombia has thankfully taken the step to outlaw child marriage, the law still has a long ways to go in being strengthened. Colombia just prohibits child marriage instead of making it a punishable offense, of course this can change but there is a long ways to go for Colombia.