US embassy cable - 05BANGKOK1924

UNCLAS BANGKOK 001924 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/BCLTV AND G/IWI: L KHADIAGALA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON, ELAB, PHUM, PGOV, SCUL, SOCI, KWMN, TH, HUMAN RIGHTS 
SUBJECT: THAILAND: CHILD MARRIAGE 
 
REF: STATE 36341 
 
1. (U)  The legal age of marriage for men and women in 
Thailand is 18. Persons under 18 may be legally married with 
the consent of both parents or a single surviving parent or 
legal guardian. In some cases, the Court can approve a legal 
underage marriage.  This is usually granted when requested by 
a couple which includes a woman who became pregnant under the 
age of 18 wishes to marry before the birth of the child. 
 
2. (U) Underage marriage among the general population is not 
a significant problem.  However, the practice persists in 
unknown numbers in some hill tribe communities in Northern 
Thailand and occasionally in Thailand's minority Muslim 
population.  None of the government offices or NGOs contacted 
by post were able to provide statistics on child marriage. 
Most embassy contacts expressed concern about teenage sex and 
unwanted pregnancy, which sometimes results in underage 
marriage but most often couples just live together.  Underage 
marriage and/or teen pregnancy often means that teenagers 
drop out of school and are forced to find work away from 
traditional home and family support structures. 
 
3. (U) Post is unaware of any U.S.-funded initiatives that 
aim to reduce the incidence or address the negative affects 
of child marriage specifically.  Some anti-trafficking 
programs focusing on women's empowerment seek to educate 
women about their legal rights and therefore address issues 
of child marriage.  Local NGOs focused on women's rights can 
address this issue through education and outreach to 
hilltribe and Muslim women, but also to various groups of 
young women most vulnerable to exploitation in the poorer 
Northeast and Northern areas of the country. 
BOYCE