Moldova 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, but there was no mention of child marriage. The government has not submitted a Voluntary National Review in any High Level Political Forum since 2020.
Moldova co-sponsored the 2013 Human Rights Council resolution on child, early and forced marriage, the 2015 Human Rights Council resolution to end child, early and forced marriage, recognising that it is a violation of human rights, the 2019 Human Rights Council resolution on the consequences of child marriage the 2021 resolution on child, early and forced marriage in times of crisis, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2023 resolution on ending and preventing forced marriage. In 2014, Moldova signed a joint statement at the Human Rights Council calling for a resolution on child marriage.
Moldova co-sponsored the 2013, 2014, 2016, 2020 and 2022 UN General Assembly resolutions on child, early and forced marriage.
Moldova 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 1994, which obligates states to ensure free and full consent to marriage.
In 2020, the CEDAW Committee expressed concerns about reports of child marriages in Roma communities and that Article 14 of the Family Code allows exceptions to the minimum legal age of marriage. The Committee recommended Moldova to remove all exceptions to the legal minimum age of marriage of 18 years.
In 2017 the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child recommended that the government remove exceptions in legislation that allow marriage under the age of 18, and adopt a national strategy on child marriage, with a particular focus on raising awareness among Roma communities.
During its 2016 Universal Periodic Review, Moldova agreed to examine a recommendation to implement legislation to abolish and effectively combat early and child marriage. Concerns were raised regarding the impact that poor school attendance and financial capability has on child marriage among Roma children.
Moldova is a partner country of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE).