DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: CHILD MARRIAGE -- CORRECTED

UNCLAS SANTO DOMINGO 001833 SIPDIS DEPT FOR G/IWI (KHADIAGALA),WHA/CAR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM DR SUBJECT: DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: CHILD MARRIAGE -- CORRECTED VERSION REF: STATE 36341 ¶1. The following is Embassy Santo Domingo's response to reftel. ¶A. According to the Dominican Civil Code and associated legislation, both boys and girls can marry freely at the age of 18. Boys can marry at age 16 and and girls can marry at age 15 with the consent of the child's parents, surviving parent, or guardian. Boys under the age of 16 and girls under the age of 15 cannot marry, except that adolescents (children who have reached the age of 13) may marry with the permission of a judge from the Tribunal of Children and Adolescents . In practice, very few children solicit permission to marry from a judge, although no official statistics are available. ¶B. There are no statistics on underage marriage in the Dominican Republic. The National Council for Adolescents and Children (CONANI) believes that a small number of underaged children may live with partners in rural areas (most likely with the consent of their parents),but they are prohibited from marrying because they cannot meet the legal requirements. ¶C. There are no U.S.-funded initiatives in the Dominican Republic to address child marriage. HERTELL