Only eight child marriages annulled - AfD leader Weidel criticizes the authorities

Child marriages are banned in Germany. Nevertheless, a state parliament inquiry by the AfD revealed hundreds of such illegal marriage alliances in Baden-Württemberg alone.

According to the Interior Ministry's published response, eight marriages with minors have been annulled in recent years. At the same time, the Tübingen regional council, which is responsible for the country, documented 350 additional cases that were settled without a legally binding annulment of the marriage. The Tübingen regional council has been responsible for the issue of child marriage nationwide since 2012. The cases listed cover the period from 2018 to 2024.

Weidel also announced that an AfD-led government would immediately put an end to child marriages. "It's truly baseless and irresponsible what this state tolerates within our borders. This is really the bottom of the barrel for tolerating child marriages."

Adulthood and death often prevent child marriages from being annulled

According to its own information, the regional council only deals with child marriages that took place abroad. They are reported to the authorities by registry offices or registry office supervisors, as a spokeswoman said.

In an abolished child marriage between Iraqi nationals in 2020, as discussed by Weidel, the man was 17 years old and the girl was only eleven years old, as the Interior Ministry's response further revealed.

Possible reasons why child marriages were not annulled included the underage partner coming of age before the annulment decision became final, or the death of a spouse. In Germany you are only allowed to get married if you are 18 years old. In 2024, the Bundestag passed new rules to protect minors in marriages abroad.