Bolivia approves bill to prohibit child marriage without exceptions

Bolivia has become the latest country in Latin America and the Caribbean to approve a law setting the minimum age of marriage at 18, without exceptions. On 17 September 2025, the Chamber of Deputies passed Bill No. 092-24, which amends Law No. 603 of the Family and Family Procedure Code and removes the exceptions that had allowed marriage from the age of 16. The final step required is presidential promulgation for the prohibition to become definitive.

This is a historic step which prohibits a harmful practice that has affected thousands of girls and adolescents in the country, and represents an important measure to ensure they can live free from violence and fully develop their life projects.

A hidden and normalised practice

Child marriage and early unions remain a reality in Bolivia, with devastating consequences for the lives and rights of girls and adolescents. These practices perpetuate poverty and expose girls to serious risks, including sexual violence, domestic violence, and even femicide, as well as early pregnancies and school drop-out, with a particularly severe impact on rural and Indigenous communities. They are rooted in patriarchal cultural and gender norms that impose roles on women from an early age and restrict their autonomy.

Between 2010 and 2022, more than 11,000 adolescents between the ages of 13 and 17 were married in Bolivia, according to data from the Civil Registry Service. Between 2014 and 2023 alone, 5,169 child marriages were registered, of which 4,804 involved girls aged 16 and 17 (92.93%), often with partners two or three times their age. According to the Ombudsman’s Office, in 2020 and 2021, 65% of married adolescents lived in rural areas.

Bolivia’s international obligations to end child marriage

Child marriage is a serious violation of human rights, recognised in treaties such as the Belém do Pará Convention, which requires States Parties, including Bolivia, to prevent and eradicate all forms of violence and discrimination against women and girls.

Other key international frameworks, such as the recommendations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), establish that marriage before the age of 18, even with parental consent, violates fundamental rights, including education, health, and development.

With this reform, Bolivia has taken an important step towards meeting its international obligations and reinforcing the protection of the rights of girls and adolescents against child marriage.

A victory after years of advocacy

The approval of this reform is the result of years of persistent advocacy by civil society organisations, women’s rights defenders, and international allies. In 2025, Equality Now supported local organisations in Bolivia driving this initiative, including Comunidad de Derechos Humanos and Ipas Bolivia, who worked closely with Senator Virginia Velasco, the bill’s author, to provide legal and technical support throughout the legislative process.

As part of these efforts, Equality Now published a policy brief on legislative action to prohibit child marriage in Bolivia. The brief set out why reform was urgent, analysed the harmful impacts of child marriage in Bolivia and across Latin America and the Caribbean, and offered concrete recommendations to bring Bolivia’s framework into alignment with international and regional human rights standards. It served as an advocacy tool to strengthen parliamentary debate and support approval of the law.

In April 2025, the Senate approved the bill, followed in August by the Human Rights Commission of the Chamber of Deputies. Despite resistance rooted in harmful gender stereotypes, such as claims that girls as young as 13 or 14 were “ready to be wives”, women’s rights advocates persisted in pushing for change.

Mónica Bayá, Legal Advisor at Equality Now and Technical Secretary of Comunidad de Derechos Humanos, explains:

“Approving the law that prohibits child marriage is a historic victory for the rights of girls and adolescents in Bolivia. It eliminates the legal provisions that for years allowed thousands of girls to marry, and signals a renewed commitment to protect them from violence and harmful practices.”

What comes next

The approval of the law is only the first step; eradicating child marriage requires much more than legislation. Effective implementation will be crucial and must go beyond a total ban, addressing the structural causes of child, early, and forced marriages and unions. The true impact of the reform will depend on sustained commitment to its application and on an intersectional approach. It is now up to the Executive to promulgate the law and demonstrate that protecting the rights of girls and adolescents is a priority.

Equality Now will continue working with our partners in Bolivia to support the law’s implementation and ensure that this legal advance translates into real change in the lives of girls and adolescents. We will also keep supporting efforts across Latin America and the Caribbean to end these harmful practices and hold States accountable to their international commitments.