Nicola Sturgeon urged to shut loophole on child brides – The Times

A child marriage survivor who was coerced into marrying a man twice her age when she was 16 is among those appealing to Nicola Sturgeon to urgently overhaul Scotland’s matrimony laws.

Payzee Mahmod, who was pressured by her father into marrying while very young, is concerned that Scotland could become a magnet for child marriages unless the SNP administration quickly follows the UK government in raising the minimum age to 18.

Boris Johnson’s administration has pledged to end the practice where 16 and 17-year-olds can marry with parental consent amid concerns that vulnerable young people can be pushed into abusive marriages, damaging their health and life chances.

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