The legal marriage age for both males and females is now 18 years.
Cabinet has approved the amendments and therefore any person below the age of 18 years, whether male or female, will be prohibited from contracting a valid marriage.
Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said previously girls could get married with parental consent at 16 years.
He said this means that Fiji was basically allowing children to get married.
Sayed-Khaiyum said increasing the marriage age from 16 to 18 years for females will also prohibit involuntary marriages.
The requirement of parental consent where a party to an intended marriage, although of marriageable age, is under the age of 21 years will also be removed.
Sayed-Khaiyum said we have had a very archaic law in place regarding marriages inherited from the colonial times.
He said it was also not conducive to gender empowerment.
Feature
Legal marriage age now 18
