The southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg has officially recorded 358 child marriages since 2012. The state government released the figures in response to questions from two members of the state parliament. The Interior Ministry said it handles only marriages that took place outside Germany, while the regional authority in Tübingen records the cases.
Courts annulled eight marriages between 2018 and 2024, meaning they legally canceled them. One involved an 11-year-old Iraqi girl and a 17-year-old Iraqi boy. Their marriage was annulled in 2020. Authorities closed the other 350 cases through different routes rather than through legally binding annulments. Reasons included the death of a spouse, a young person reaching adulthood, a decision not to request an annulment, or another marriage abroad.
Germany's law against child marriage has been in force since summer 2017. In 2024, the national parliament adopted further rules to protect minors in marriages entered into abroad. People can legally marry in Germany only after reaching adulthood, and forcing someone to marry is a separate criminal offense.
