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AMMAN —AlGhad— President of the Sisterhood is Global Institute – Jordan, Asma Khader, announced the launch of a national coalition to address underage marriage in Jordan on Thursday, during a press conference held at the Institute’s headquarters in Amman.
The coalition aims to retract the exceptions afforded by the Civil Status Law, which allows parents to marry their children, and set the minimum age for marriage at 18.
Ms Khader stated that the minimum expectation is to raises the legal age of consent for marriage to 16, but the coalition will fight for 18 as hard as possible.
In 2017, she said, at least 10,902 girls, under 18, were married off by their parents.
According to her statement, up to 30 documented, official underage marriages take place in Jordan every day, notwithstanding undocumented cases.
The latter are wide a-spread in refugee camps as well as in marginalised communities across Jordan.
A ceremony was held wherein a number of leading women’s rights activists took the pledge to join and support the coalition’s agendas.
(Petra)
