Currently, 16 and 17 year olds can get married with their parents' permission but Deputies St Pier and Bury want to prevent that from happening, describing it as a "child protection issue".

They've warned that very young people getting married can be a sign of forced marriage, or people trafficking. 

There is no suggestion that has happened here but the pair of politicians want to ensure it can't occur in the future, particularly in light of Guernsey's changing demographic. 

Pictured: Deputies Gavin St Pier and Tina Bury.

Policy and Resources are being asked to look into the matter, and to direct any future changes to the Marriage law to raise the minimum age of marriage from 16 to 18.

A similar law change was carried out in England and Wales in 2022 and the deputies say it is necessary here as well to protect vulnerable young people.

There are no official records of any recent marriages involving under 18s - with the Greffe stating the last known such marriage was in 2003 - but raising the minimum age would bring Guernsey in line with other UN signatories and meet obligations under the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child. 

Deputies St Pier and Bury say this will protect 16 and 17 year olds as Guernsey becomes more multi-cultural.

"Whilst there is no evidence presently of forced marriages for children under the age of 18 in the Bailiwick, post-Brexit we are experiencing rapid and significant changes in the demographic composition of our population," explained Deputies St Pier and Bury.

"It would be irresponsible to assume that the pressures which exist in some communities elsewhere for young people to marry before the age of 18 – and which drove the change in the minimum age in the UK as a child protection issue – will not in time impact our own community.

"The premise of the amendment is that it would be more responsible to plan to give consideration to this before, not after such an issue has become a problem locally – and in any event, in advance of the next round of UN Convention on the Rights of the Child reporting in 2030."

A spokesperson for HM Greffier said: “Greffe records show that the last person to be married in Guernsey under the age of 18 was in 2003.”