BERLIN: A total of 358 cases involving child marriages have been recorded in Germany’s southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg since 2012, but only eight marriages have been legally annulled, according to official records.
The figures were disclosed by the state’s Interior Ministry in response to a parliamentary inquiry.
According to the report, around 350 other cases ended for various reasons or did not proceed to legal annulment. These included instances in which an underage spouse reached adulthood before proceedings were completed or a spouse died.
One of the youngest cases involved an 11-year-old girl from Iraq who married a 17-year-old boy. The marriage was annulled in 2020.
Official records also include cases involving girls aged 12, 13 and 14.
The cases involved people originating from several countries, including Pakistan, Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. However, the figures cover only Baden-Württemberg and do not represent the total number of child marriage cases across Germany.
The legal age for marriage in Germany is generally 18. Forced marriage is also a separate criminal offence under German law.
