Rights groups say that many poor families in Guatemala continue to force young girls to marry in exchange for money, cattle, land or debt forgiveness. They say the harmful practice continues despite a law passed in 2016 that prohibits any marriage of girls under the age of 16. Girls under 18 may still marry with a judge’s permission, which is contrary to international guidelines on forced and child marriage. Guatemala “has one of the highest rates of child marriage in Latin America,” a problem made worse by prolonged drought, deep poverty, and an entrenched “patriarchal and macho culture.”
Compiled from: Moloney, Anastasia, Impoverished families flout Guatemala's child marriage ban – experts, Reuters (November 16, 2016).