In Brazil 43,000 Minors Under 14 are Married, Report Says

Published December 10, 2016

arrives for the Royal wedding of Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall at Canongate Kirk on July 30, 2011 in Edinburgh, Scotland. The Queen's granddaughter Zara Phillips will marry England rugby player Mike Tindall today at Canongate Kirk. Many royals are expected to attend including the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. (2011 Getty Images)

An estimated 43,000 kids 14 and under are married in Brazil, according to last year’s Census findings, despite strict laws to prevent those unions.

Brazil's penal code prohibits marriage with children under 14 and defines sex with them as statutory rape.

Helen Sanches is president of the Brazilian Association of Judges, Prosecutors and Public Defenders in Juvenile Court. She was quoted by the Estado de São Paulo newspaper Tuesday as saying that it's not uncommon for families to ask the court for permission to marry off a daughter younger than 14. She says many are unaware that it is against the law.

The states in which these unions are most common have the country's lowest per-capita income.

Based on reporting by the Associated Press

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https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/in-brazil-43000-minors-under-14-are-married-report-says