DEPUTY Speaker Bernadette Herrera-Dy moved for the transfer of referral of all bills  prohibiting child marriage to the Committee on Women and Gender Equality chaired by Rep. Malou Acosta-Alba.

“This International Women’s Day, we moved to transfer referral of all bills prohibiting child marriage to the Committee on Women and Gender Equality. This issue is a priority agenda of women. You have my commitment that I will contribute to ushering this bill in the legislative mill, and I ask for your commitment to help achieve this through your own means,” the lawmaker said.

Herrera-Dy made history as the first legislator who filed a bill seeking to prohibit child marriage.

The Philippines ranked 12th in the world in terms of absolute number of child brides. Data from the 2017 National Demographic and Health Survey reveal that one out of six Filipino girls are married before they turn 18.

Under her bill, a person who causes, fixes, facilitates, or arranges a child marriage shall be considered as responsible for “acts of neglect, abuse, cruelty, or exploitation, and other conditions prejudicial to the child’s development” and shall be punished under Republic Act 7610, or the Special Protection of Children against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.

Herrera-Dy closely coordinated  with a group of advocates called the #GirlDefenders alliance who mounted a hybrid zoomlidarity rally joined by more than 200 advocates on March 5, 2021  to call on the House of Representatives to pass bills prohibiting child marriage.

“Legislators must recognize the urgency of this issue. Every single day that this law is not passed means girls being forced into marriage and risks of a vicious cycle of violence. We call on the House of Representative to begin deliberation on this bill and give it a chance to be heard by the plenary,” said Rom Dongeto, executive director of the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development, organizer of the #GirlDefenders Alliance and convenor of the Child Rights Network.

The #GirlDefenders alliance commended Herrera-Dy and the House Committee on Women and Gender Equality as the transfer of referral is seen as a positive development and assurance that the bills prohibiting child marriage will be prioritized and will soon be scheduled for deliberation.

The Senate approved on final reading SB 1373 or the “Girls not Brides Act” authored by Sen. Risa Hontiveros in November 2020.