DUSHANBE -- The number of marriages involving under-aged girls in Tajikistan in the first nine of months of 2017 grew by 3% compared to the same period last year, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)'s Tajik service reported Tuesday (October 31), quoting law enforcement.
Authorities registered 41 such marriages, which are deemed illegal. The majority occurred in Sughd and Khatlon provinces.
Parents of the under-aged brides can be sentenced to two years of hard labour or six months in prison.
Under Tajik law, women generally may not marry before age 18, although orphans may marry at age 17.
