Children's ombudsman: early marriages in Chechnya do not contradict Russian Family Code
MOSCOW. May 14 (Interfax) - It is normal for people Chechnya to get married before the age of 18, Russian children's rights ombudsman Pavel Astakhov said.
"The Family Code has an article stating that the lower limit is established by the regional authorities in exceptional situations. In Chechnya it's 17 years, in Bashkortostan it's 14 years, and in the Moscow region it's 16 years. There are [territories] where there is no lower age limit," Astakhov said in an interview with the Russian News Service.
"Let's not be prude, emancipation and sexual maturity happen earlier in the Caucasus. There are places where women have wrinkles at age 27 and they look 50 by our standards. Generally, the Constitution prohibits interference into citizens' private life," Astakhov said.
According to the Russian News Service, Astakhov said he has rescheduled his trip to Chechnya, during which he intended to discuss the situation with Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of Chechnya, from June to July. "We will meet to calmly discuss these issues. I know how Ramzan Akhmatovich feels about early marriages. He is not for them," Astakhov said.
Some media reported last week that the 57-year-old head of the Nozhai-Yury district police department in Chechnya had married a 17-year-old girl from the village of Baitarki.
