Stefanchuk: The norm on permission to marry from the age of 14 was removed from the draft Civil Code

The norm that allows marriage from the age of 14 in certain cases was decided to be removed from the draft of the updated Civil Code due to criticism from society.

This was reported by the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Ruslan Stefanchuk.

According to him, the proposed project did not mention lowering the marriage age to 14. It meant the possibility of allowing marriage from the age of 14 only by court decision in the event of pregnancy or the birth of a child.

"Regarding this norm, it definitely does not encourage marriage at the age of 14. It is protective, its main goal is to protect the interests of a newborn child. That is why a whole series of restrictions are provided for," Stefanchuk added.

He emphasized that two conditions are required for marriage from the age of 14: the fact of the birth of a child to a person who has reached the age of 14 (or her pregnancy), and the presence of a court decision.

"According to the authors of the project, this is what should ensure what is called in the world taking into account the BEST INTERESTS OF THE CHILD: so that a newborn child, regardless of the circumstances that he did not create, has a chance to grow up in a full-fledged, loving family, and not be left without a father or mother. The legal arguments here are unambiguous," the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada emphasized.

However, due to the ambiguous reaction of society, the working group preparing the update of the Civil Code decided to remove this provision from the draft law and leave the rules that are currently in force.

What preceded

On January 22, the Verkhovna Rada registered a new version of the Civil Code of Ukraine. Human rights organizations criticized it, as the draft contained norms that "contradict European standards".

The most concerning provisions were those that made it impossible for courts to recognize the existence of family relationships between people of the same sex.

The bill also stipulates that all marriages concluded by people who have changed gender will automatically become invalid.

"This is not just stagnation in the field of human rights or lack of progress on the path to European integration, but an actual setback in the legal sphere, which raises serious concerns about Ukraineʼs movement along the so-called "Georgian scenario" — declaring a European course while simultaneously adopting legislation that contradicts EU values and law," a number of public organizations emphasized in a joint statement.

They appealed to the Speaker of Parliament and peopleʼs deputies to finalize the new Civil Code.

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