In terms of older, the law says it refers to those who are unable to take care and protect themselves from abuse, neglect, cruelty, exploitation, or discrimination because of certain physical or mental conditions.
Meanwhile, child marriage refers to any marriage where one or both parties are children, and “solemnised in the civil or church proceedings, or in any recognised traditional, cultural, or customary manner”.
In defining so, the new law has now removed religious and cultural exemptions for child marriage that were part of The Family Code of The Philippines, according to House deputy speaker and Bagong Henerasyon Representative Bernadette Herrera-Dy, who is one of the authors of the law.
“We made this law because there are some indigenous cultures that practice it regardless of whether it’s prohibited or not in our country. It’s not allowed under the Constitution, but there is a portion in the Family Code that somehow exempts them and the religious beliefs of our Muslim brothers and sisters. That’s why we made a way to remove whatever slim exemption to observe the law no matter the culture, religion, that no minor can marry,” she said, adding that now anybody can rescue a minor from this child abuse.
Additionally, any informal union or cohabitation outside of wedlock between an adult and a child, or between children is also forbidden now, as per the copy of RA11596 that is with SAYS.
However, some portions of the legislation have been suspended for one year to provide a one-year transitory period during which the law’s penalty measures will affect Muslims and Indigenous peoples.