Country : Romania

Committee : UNICEF
Topic : Child Marriage
Name : Justin Juarsa

Romania is known as the country between three regions of the southeastern, central, and
eastern areas of Europe. Romania is a safe country to travel to and considered to be a welcoming
traveling destination. However, Romania’s number of child marriage is pretty high. More than
9,000 girls in Romania become mothers before turning 19, and one in 15 girls gets married at a
young age (15-19 years). Eurostat data for 2015 showed that Romania had the highest number of
births for mothers aged between 10 and 17 in the European Union, namely 9,282 births. This
stands for 4.7% of the total births in 2015. Compared to other countries in the world, Romania
registers a worrying situation in two indicators related to girls’ protection. A total of 6.7% of the
young girls aged 15 to 19 get married, and 34 girls out of 1,000 become mothers. Generally, the
level of education of Roma women is very low compared to the total population. According to
the population census, 40% of Roma women did not attend school, only 1/3 graduated primary
education and 5% graduated secondary education. Over 30% of Roma women are illiterate.21
Recent sociological studies show that child marriages negatively affect Roma participation in
education, particularly in case of women. A survey conducted on a representative sample of
Roma who dropped out before finishing mandatory education revealed that 6.6% of them
abandoned because of getting married, all of them being females. According to recent research
reports by Save the Children and the World Bank, globally, over 20,000 girls under the age limit
provided by the national law get married each year, and 44,000 girls aged 15 to 19 become
mothers.

Until 2007 the minimum age for marriage in Romania was different for men and women.
Men could marry at the age of 18 and women could marry at the age of 16. A new Civil Code
entered into effect on October 1, 2011. The age for marriage for both men and women is legally
established at the age of 18. However, for solid reasons, the minor who is already 16 years old
can marry, on the basis of a medical notice, with the approval of his/her parents, or of his/her
legal guardian, if applicable, and with the authorization of the competent Guardianship Court. In
case one of the parents does not approve the marriage, the competent Guardianship Court will
take into account the best interest of the child. According to the Romanian Civil Code, girls can
get married after they turn 18. However, for good reasons, a child aged 16 may marry based on a
medical opinion, with the consent of his or her parents or guardians and with the permission of
the court. Although the court practice allows the marriage of minors only in exceptional
circumstances, Romania has not come out of the risk area. Thus, 6.7% of under aged between 15
and 19 got married. Annually, at a global level, 17 million girls give birth to a child. In Romania,
the birth rate among adolescents between 15 and 19 years of age is worrying, of 34 births per
1,000 teenagers. In Europe, only two states have a relatively more serious situation than
Romania, namely Bulgaria and Georgia, with 36.8 and 38.3 births respectively.

To avoid child marriage in the future we would propose some solutions, that might help
Romania, or even any other country that is currently battling the child marriage in their country.
The solutions that we propose are :
1. Proper Education
Encourage and give education to girls about the impacts that child marriage gives. Child
marriage ends childhood. It negatively influences children's rights to education, health
and protection. These consequences impact not just the girl directly, but also her family
and community. A girl who is married as a child is more likely to be out of school and not
earn money and contribute to the community.
2. Encourage supportive laws and policies
By encouraging supportive laws and policies, the number of child marriage can be
reduced. In order for the next generation to make ending child marriage a priority,
policymakers must pay attention to these strategies while continuing to test and find
innovative approaches and evaluation techniques.
 Bibliography
- https://www.theguardian.com/journalismcompetition/romanias-child-brides
- https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/CEDAW/HarmfulPractices/RomaniCRISSa
ndECPI.pdf
- https://www.unicef.org/serbia/en/child-marriage-among-roma-population-serbia