Child Marriage Is Somehow Still Legal In Canada & This Study Shows Where It's Happening

A new study from McGill University has revealed some shocking data about child marriage in Canada.  

Child marriage is still legal in the country and, according to the study, it's happening "from coast to coast." 

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3,600 Marriage certificates issued to children from 2000 to 2018. 

The study defines child marriage as "formal or informal (common-law) marriage before the age of 18." 

According to Canadian Legal FAQs, anyone over 18 can marry legally. Anyone ages 16 to 18 requires parental consent. You can't legally get married in Canada if you are under 16 years old. 

Apparently, the highest number of marriages of this type happen in Saskatchewan and the territories. 

Furthermore, over 85% of marriage certificates that are granted to children in the country are given to girls, who are typically marrying much older people.  

The data also shows that Canadian-born children are more likely to get married than people who are born outside of Canada. 

While most of this type of marriage is common law at this point, this was not the case in 2006 when "formal marriage accounted for more than half of all child unions."

Despite Canada's reputation for being progressive, the data shows that it still has a long way to go. 

“Our results show that Canada has its own work to do to achieve its commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which call for an end to child marriage by the year 2030,” says co-author Alissa Koski, assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Occupational Health at McGill University.