Micronesia

There is no publicly available government data on child marriage in Micronesia.

Child marriage is driven by gender inequality and the belief that women and girls are somehow inferior to men and boys.

There is limited information on child marriage in Micronesia. Some reports argue that child and early marriage are considered culturally acceptable and that the practice of “bride price” (girls being traded in exchange for cash) has increased in the last few years.

Micronesia has committed to ending child, early and forced marriage by 2030 in line with target 5.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The government submitted a 2020 Voluntary National Review at the High Level Political Forum. It was noted that marriage has not been legislated at a national level and that in the states of Chuuk and Pohnpei customary marriages are valid with no minimum legal age.

The government is due to submit a Voluntary National Review at the 2024 High Level Political Forum.

Micronesia acceded to the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1993, which the Committee on the Rights of the Child has interpreted to recommend the establishment of a minimum age of marriage of 18, and acceded to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 2004, which obligates states to ensure free and full consent to marriage.

During its 2020 review, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child recommended that the government develop a system of data collection to cover all children, including on child marriage, and to engage with communities on harmful practices such as child marriage, violence against children, and sexual and reproductive health. The Committee raised concerns at the minimum age of marriage and urged the government to prohibit all marriage, including customary marriages for girls and boys under the age of 18 in all states.

In the 2020 Universal Periodic Review, the CEDAW Committee raised concerns at the inconsistencies with the minimum legal age for marriage between boys and girls and urged the government to set the minimum age for marriage at 18 years for both boys and girls.

During its Universal Periodic Review in 2015, Micronesia agreed to review recommendations in due time to harmonize the national legislation with CEDAW and the Convention on the Rights of the Child by passing a legislative amendment to raise the minimum age of marriage for girls to 18 years.

During its 2017 review, the CEDAW Committee expressed concerns about the discrepancy in the legal minimum age of marriage for girls and boys and the exemptions to compulsory marriage registration, which may result in discriminatory practices such as child marriage, and recommended that the government set the legal minimum age of marriage at 18 years for both girls and boys and criminalise child marriage.

Regionally, the Spotlight Pacific Regional Initiative builds on existing commitments across 16 Pacific Island countries, including Micronesia.

In the Federated States of Micronesia, which is composed of four states, the subject of marriage has not been legislated at the federal level nor in the State of Yap.

In the States of Kosrae, Chuuk and Pohnpei the minimum age of marriage is 16 years for girls and 18 years for boys. Girls aged 16 can be married with parental consent in those three states.

In addition, in the states of Pohnpei and Chuuk customary marriages are valid and may therefore be conducted without adherence to the minimum age of marriage.