The Bolivian government has approved the Law Against Child Marriage and Early Unions, officially prohibiting all marriages under the age of 18. The new law eliminates legal exceptions that previously allowed marriage from the age of 16 with parental or judicial authorization.
This milestone represents a historic victory for the protection of girls and adolescents against child, early, and forced marriages and unions and marks a significant step toward ensuring a childhood free from violence.
Senator Virginia Velasco spearheaded the push to change the law, with technical support from Ipas Bolivia and human rights organizations. Following its approval in the Senate in April, the bill moved to the Chamber of Deputies, where it was voted into law on Sept 17.
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“We must prevent this. We cannot allow our girls to suffer violence—psychological violence, femicide. Between 2014 and 2024, 6,001 cases of child, early, and forced marriages and unions were recorded—cases in which dreams were shattered.”
– Senator Virginia Velasco during her speech to the Bolivian Senate before it voted in April to approve the new law
Fulfilling human rights commitments
This success builds on years of advocacy by Ipas and partners to end child marriage, which is disturbingly common in Bolivia. In 2024, Ipas testimony at a hearing of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights prompted the Bolivian government to commit to take action to address the country’s child marriage crisis.
In their advocacy efforts, allied organizations including Ipas Bolivia emphasized that child, early, and forced marriages and unions are closely associated with school dropout, unwanted adolescent pregnancies, and multiple forms of gender-based violence. The new law seeks to safeguard the right of girls and adolescents to live a free, safe, and opportunity-filled childhood.
Ipas staff and partners stood in support of the ban on child marriage during the September session of Bolivia’s parliament where the law change was debated. They held signs with messaging from a nationwide advocacy campaign: Ni esposas, ni concubinas. Las niñas son niñas. (Neither wives nor concubines. Girls are girls). © Ipas Bolivia
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“When a girl is married, she loses her childhood. This law sends a clear message: Girls are neither wives nor concubines,” says Malena Morales, director of Ipas Bolivia.
Ipas Bolivia supported the process for law change as part of the campaign “Neither Wives nor Concubines. Girls Are Girls,” which mobilized voices from communities, educational centers, social media, and traditional media outlets to highlight the urgency of ending child marriage as a form of violence against girls.
Malena Morales, director of Ipas Bolivia
In April before the Senate voted to approve the new law, legislators reviewed information prepared by Ipas Bolivia and partners as part of their advocacy efforts.