FINLAND: CHILD MARRIAGE

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E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON ELAB PHUM PGOV SCUL SOCI FI
SUBJECT: FINLAND: CHILD MARRIAGE

REF: SECSTATE 36341


1. (U) The following responses are keyed to paragraph 6 of
reftel:

A) (U) The legal age of marriage for males and females in
Finland is 18. The Ministry for Justice reports that the
overwhelming majority of marriages in Finland are between
couples age 18 and older. It is possible to petition the
Justice Ministry for permission to marry below the age of 18
in special circumstances and with parental consent (if
applicable). In practice, this rarely happens, and when it
does occur, it is usually in conjunction with a pregnant
teenager petitioning to marry the baby's father (also a
teenager or young man) and not in conjunction with a "child
bride" phenomenon. In 2003, out of a total of 25,815
marriages, only two males and 24 females were under 18 at the
time they were married.

B) (U) Underage marriage is not a significant problem in
Finland. Neither ethnic Finns nor minorities marry before
the age of 18 except in unusual circumstances. NGOs that
work with minority groups report that they receive complaints
from Kurds and others that Finnish consular officials abroad
will not approve visas for adult women who wish to come to
Finland to marry as a result of an "arranged" marriage;
according to the NGOs, it would be extremely unlikely that
Finnish officials would approve such an arrangement with a
minor. Finnish couples tend to marry relatively late in
life. In 2003, the average age of first marriage for females
was 29 and for males 31; the trend is toward even later
marriages.

C) (U) N/A.
MACK