No more kid nups

NY marriage age to be raised to 17

A little-known state law that allows kids as young as 14 to get married is about to be removed from the books.

The Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed a bill raising the minium wedding age to 17, and that’s only with both judicial and parental consent.

Advocates said it was about time.

“Child marriage is a human-rights violation that fosters gender inequality and exploitation and whose victims are three times more likely to suffer do- mestic violence, are much less likely to complete their education and are not able to bring divorce or annulment in their own names,” said Judy Harris Kluger, director of Sanctuary for Families.

The legislation, sponsored by Assemblywoman Amy Paulin (DWestchester) and state Sen. Andrew Lanza (R-SI), ends a practice where kids between 14 and 17 could get hitched if their parents approved

Paulin said that some of the marriages were “forced.”

“This practice is a viola- tion of human rights that has consistently had a disproportionately discriminatory effect on young girls, inflicting physicaland mental-health issues, robbing them of educational opportunities, and increasing their risk of experiencing violence,” Paulin said.

Records show that 3,850 children between 14 and 18 were married in the state from 2000 through 2010.

Eighty-four percent were girls, but the two 14-yearolds who married in 2010 were boys.

Current state law sets 18 as the minium marriage age, but younger people have wed with the blessing or urging of their families, although 14- and 15-yearolds require court approval as well.

Kluger called that “unacceptable and outmoded.”

The new law would outlaw marriages of those under 17 entirely. No consent is needed starting at 18.

The state Senate passed the legislation in March.

Gov. Cuomo made it clear he would sign the bill quickly.

“It’s shocking current law allows for children as young as 14 to be married off,” he said.