Uzbekistan strengthens punishment for early marriages

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Uzbekistan strengthened punishment for violation of legislation on marriage age.

President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov signed a law "On introduction of changes and amendments to some legislative acts of Uzbekistan" on 30 April 2013.

The document was passed by Legislative Chamber on 20 March 2013 and approved by Senate on 28 March 2013. The law came into force on 1 May 2013.

The law directed at protecting health of young generation and preventing negative consequences of early marriages.

In particular, the law introduces changes to Family Code, Criminal Code and Code of administrative responsibility. The changes concretize cases when early marriages allowed in Uzbekistan. It also sets criminal and administrative responsibility for early marriages.

Article 125 (1) “Violation of legislation on marriage age” was included to Criminal Code. The article said that the person, who married to under age after administrative punishment, will pay a fine at the size of 20 to 30 sizes of minimal salary or sentenced to correctional works for a year or jailed for three months.

Parents or persons, who replace them, will have to pay fine at the size of 30 to 50 sizes of minimal salary or sentenced to correctional works for up to two years or jailed for four months if they marry their underage children after administrative punishment for similar offense, the law said.

The document also said that the fine at the size from 50 to 100 sizes of minimal salary will be levied from persons, who conduct religious wedding ceremony with participation of underage after administrative punishment for similar offense. They can be also sentenced for up to three years of correctional works or jailed for six months.

The law also amended Code of Uzbekistan on administrative responsibility and included new article 47 (3) “Violation of legislation on marriage age”.

The article says that marriage relations with underage envisages fine at the size from 5 to 10 sizes of minimal salary.

Parents and persons, who replace them, will be fined from 7 to 15 sizes of minimal salary for marriage of underage.

The persons, who conduct religious wedding ceremony with participation of underage, will pay fine from 10 to 20 sizes of minimal salary.

According to the Family Code, men can marry at the age 18 and women at the age of 17. Article 15 of Family Code said that governors can decrease minimum marriage age up to one year on request and if there is respectful reason.