Around six percent of girls are married before the age of 15 in Solomon Islands. Photo: UNICEF/Naftalin
Solomon Islands Law Reform Commission is currently reviewing the Islanders' Marriage and Divorce Act, including assessing whether the marriage age needs to be raised from 15 to 18 years.
A report led be a coalition of charities in Solomon Islands, called Solomon Islands Endim Vaelens Agenstims Pikinini, said one in five girls in Solomon Islands is married before the age of 18, and this increases to one in four in rural areas.
Around six percent of girls are married before the age of 15 in Solomon Islands.
Save the Children, World Vision, and ChildFund interviewed more than 200 children, young people, and adults for the report.
Save the Children advocacy and research director Jacqui Southey said there was widespread public support to increase the age.
"There was consensus between children and adults, parents and community members that children's experiences should be playing with their friends, being at school, learning skills," Southey said.
"They also thought that children getting married too young could lead to problems and we know that through the data that problems such as increased risk of domestic violence is a real concern, the inability to finish school, the inability to have good earnings prospects later in life and greater risk of exploitation."
World Vision's head of advocacy and justice Rebekah Armstrong said Solomon Islands government should heed the strong community support for a law change.
"We strongly urge Solomon Islands Government to listen to the voices of their people and take decisive action to protect and advocate for the best interests of children," she said.
Destiny, a 17 year old campaigner to increase the marriage age from 15 to 18 in Solomon Islands. Photo: Save the Children
Destiny, a 17-year-old campaigner to increase the marriage age said at 15 most are still in a stage of personal development.
She said in her community some girls under 18 had been married.
"What I see is just that's a hard life, like when it comes to marriage, because marriage is a commitment.
"Raising the age of marriage is to ensure that individuals have completed at least a basic level of education and have had time to develop emotionally and mentally."
