1. Note to teachers and students:
Secondary 45
Note to teachers and students:
The following topics are covered in greater depth in the advanced lesson:
Working out whether law changes make a difference
2) Is marriage for you?
3) When do you become an adult?

2. Feedback: “Have you ever read the ‘terms and conditions’?”
Print me for display
“I think we should get rid of it because no one reads it anyways.”
Folkstone Academy
“They are important so you know what you’re signing up to.”
Bridgewater High School
“The terms and conditions are usually about 20 pages long and in tiny writing so no one really reads them.”
Uckfield Community Technical College
“We SHOULD read the terms and conditions because if we don’t read them, then we could be putting ourselves in danger.”
St Wilfrid’s Church of England Academy
“It’s really important that children are able to understand what they’re signing up for when they join a social network. With such complicated terms and conditions, it’s not a surprise that almost two-thirds say they haven’t read them. It’s really helpful to see these results from Votes For Schools, and we’ll be sharing these results with social networks, to make clear they need to do better when it comes to letting children know about the rights, risks and responsibilities that come with being online.”
Andy Burrows, Associate Head of Child Safety Online, NSPCC
©VotesForSchools2019

3. Starter: Why do people get married?1
Starter: Why do people get married?
“It’s an important part of my religion.”
Table task (4-6 mins)
Read the speech bubbles. Decide which, in your opinion, are good reasons to get married. Share your thoughts with your table.
“Everyone else is doing it.”
“I am so in love!”
“To make my parents happy.”
“I’m tired of dating and don’t want to be alone.”
“To show how serious I am about this person.”
“I want to be a team who support each other for life.”
“I want to build a life with someone.”
“I want to start a family.”
Images: 1-
“I need financial stability so I could have children.”
“For the big party and the amazing wedding photos!”
“I feel like it’s socially unacceptable not to be married.”
“My family expects me to.”
“I want to feel safe.”
©VotesForSchools2019

4. Should the UK increase the age of marriage to 18?
Images:
iStock
Students:
If you are worried about anything covered in today’s lesson, please speak to your teacher or a trusted adult.
©VotesForSchools2019

5. Learning objectives for today
To learn about the law surrounding marriage.
To explore whether the law on marriage in the UK protects children from harm.
Keywords
References: 1-
2- Government website:
3- UN Convention on the Rights of the Child:
Emotional maturity: Being able behave and think mentally and emotionally like an adult. This involves responding to situations and controlling emotions.
Forced marriage: A forced marriage is where one or both people do not consent to the marriage and pressure or abuse is used.
Child: A person under the age of 18.
©VotesForSchools2019

6. Issues to consider Starter: Why do people get married?
Is there such a thing as the ’right’ age?
Why are we talking about this?
What does the law say about child marriage?
Does the law protect you?
Should the age be raised?
Career Launchpad
Vote
Images: 1-
References:
This week, we are working alongside Unicef UK to gather your thoughts on what age people should be able to marry.
©VotesForSchools2019

7. Individual task (2-3 mins)
Is there such a thing as the ‘right’ age?
Individual task (2-3 mins)
On your own, plot a timeline and write down when you personally expect to do the following things:
Important note:
These are just ideas. You don’t have to do any of the things below.
Buy a pet
Start a family of your own
Move into your own house / flat
Share (2 mins)
Share where you put marriage (if you put it at all). Why did you choose here?
Go on holiday alone with friends
Get married
Have your first full-time job
Retire from work 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
100
My lifetime (in years old)
©VotesForSchools2019

8. Why are we talking about this?3
Why are we talking about this?
Countries with highest rates of child marriage:
Child marriage happens all over the world, across countries, cultures and religions, to both boys and girls.
Each year, 12 million girls are married before the age of 181.
Click me!
Child marriage is widely seen as harmful2. It limits children’s potential in many ways. Countries all over the world, including the UK, have committed to ending it by
Fact gathering (5-7 mins)
Click to watch a video and then click the globe to explore child marriage stats. Find the UK and read about child marriage there. What have you learned? Pick out two facts to take away.
0:00-
1:52
*The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child  defines a child as someone under the age of 18.
Alternative link: 1-
Globe link to Atlas:
Images: 1- 2-
References:
1- Girls Not Brides
2- Girls Not Brides
3- Girls Not Brides
Child marriage*:
Any formal marriage or informal union where one or both of the people are under 18.
©VotesForSchools2019

9. Why are we talking about this?3
Why are we talking about this?
Marriage is a lifelong commitment and should be a joyful and happy celebration for both individuals.
Guess (2 mins)
Write your guess on a post-it. Put these up at the front of the class. You will learn the answer on the next slide!
What do you think the current law in the UK says about the age you can get married?
Some MPs have been calling for the age of marriage to be increased. Today we are working with Unicef UK as they want to hear your views on the legal age for marriage. VotesforSchools will be letting MPs know what you think about this important issue.
Images: 1-
2- Pixabay
3- iStock 4-
References: 1-
©VotesForSchools2019

10. Investigation (5-8 mins)4
The current law on marriage
Click for answers.
Investigation (5-8 mins)
Learn what the current law is on marriage in the UK by reading the purple boxes below. Then, in groups, decide whether the grey scenarios are illegal.
Shannon, 16, lives in Scotland. She marries her boyfriend, Jon, 17, against her parents’ wishes.
LEGAL
Abdul, 19, is being forced by his father to marry a girl his age he has only met once.
ILLEGAL
Riya, 17, has been told by her parents she
will be married in India over the summer.
ILLEGAL
Forced marriage is illegal1:
Forcing someone to marry against their will is illegal in the UK and people can face seven years in prison for this.
In Scotland, the legal age for marriage is 16. Parental consent is not needed.
In England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, the legal age for marriage is 18 but 16 and 17-year olds can get married with parental consent.
Images: 1- 2- 3-
References:
1- Government Website:
2- Girls not Brides
3- Forced Marriage Unit
In 2017, 1,200 possible forced marriage cases were flagged in the UK3, 355 involving children under 18 and 186 of these involving children aged 15 or younger.
©VotesForSchools2019

11. Does the law protect you?5
Does the law protect you?
Advocates of raising the legal age for marriage to 18 with no exceptions believe that it will protect more children1 from being forced or pressured into marriage.
Group task (7-10 mins)
Copy the table on the next slide and fill in the first column (or just talk through it). Then, discuss whether there is a difference between the ages you chose and the ages the law says. Why is this? Discuss the question in the last column.
Images:
References:
1- Girls not Brides
To get you thinking about what impact a change in the law on marriage could make, let’s think about some current laws and to what extent they protect you.
Research task:
Pick one law from the next slide and write a timeline of how it has come to be throughout history.
©VotesForSchools2019

12. Does the law protect you?5
Does the law protect you?
Click to fill in more gaps
What age do you think it’s OK to…?
What age does the law say it’s OK to…?
Why do you think this is the legal age?
Do you need the law to protect you from this?
What else protects you from the dangers?
Get your ears pierced?
No age limit. Shops or salons have their own rules.
Play Fortnite? 12
The game is violent
Use Instagram? 13
Have a job?
Go on a holiday with friends only?
Buy a pet? 16
Get a tattoo?
A tattoo is permanent
Buy alcohol 18 13 16
References: 1) 2- 3- 4- 5- 6- 7- 18
©VotesForSchools2019

13. Does the law protect you?5
Does the law protect you?
Harm
Knowing the law can help you protect yourself. It is empowering to be able to see what is and isn’t acceptable. If someone does something illegal, you know you can speak up or report it.
Class task (4-6 mins)
On a whiteboard, copy the diagram to the left with you in the centre. In the circles, think about who or what is there to protect you from harm, other than the law.
Images: 1- Me
But it’s not just the law that keeps you safe. It’s the people around you too.
©VotesForSchools2019

14. Pair discussion (2-4 mins)5
Does the law protect you?
Child marriage:
Any formal marriage or informal union where one or both of the people are under 18.
0:00-
1:05
Community
Government (laws)
Parents
Friends / family
Pair discussion (2-4 mins)
Click to hear the story of Meera, a 15-year old from the UK. Using the diagram to help, talk about who or what has failed to protect her.
Alternative video link: 1)
Meera
©VotesForSchools2019

15. The proposed change in law:6
Should the age be raised?
Child marriage:
Any formal marriage or informal union where one or both of the people are under 18.
Class task (4-6 mins)
To end the lesson, take a post-it and write down the age that you think someone should be legally allowed to get married. You can choose whether to add anything about parental consent, or include special exceptions. Stick your post-its up on the board. Your teacher will ask a few of you to justify your choice to the class.
Images:
1) iStock
The current law:
With parental consent, a 16 or 17-year old can marry. In Scotland, a 16-year old can marry without parental consent.
The proposed change in law:
Marriage will be legal from the age of 18 only, and there will be no exceptions.
©VotesForSchools2019

16. Career Launchpad! Video (5 mins) Click to watch a video.
Learn more: The impact of child marriage
Around the world, 23 girls a minute1 are married before the age of 18. Their personal development and wellbeing are put at risk as a result. They often feel disempowered and may not be physically or emotionally ready to be married. Watch the video to hear from Fatimetou, a young girl from Mauritania who was forced to marry by her parents when she was just 13 years old.
0:00-2:48
Warning:
This video may be upsetting for some students.
Career spotlight: Website Moderator
Career website
Requirements:
Languages are very helpful as they help you to monitor international websites.
A passion for helping people is vital!
A degree in computer science, social media, online marketing or business can help.
Summary:
Nearly all online forums need someone to look out for nasty comments, worrying signs or even illegal activity. It’s a bit like being an internet policeman – you spend your time dealing with flagged posts to make sure everyone is safe.
Responsibilities:
Help improve safety of the world wide web.
Check out flagged comments or images to see if they are against the website’s rules.
Flag inappropriate content and report illegal activity.
Alternative video link:
(Teacher’s note: Please start the video at 0:22, and end at 3:10).
Images:
1- Screenshot, Youtube
References: 1-
©VotesForSchools2019

17. Should the UK increase the age of marriage to 18?NO
I think 16 and 17-year olds are emotionally mature enough to make big decisions, like getting married. They have to make other big decisions at this age, like what A-levels to take, which arguably affects the rest of their life in a big way too.
Many forced marriages in the UK happen to people over 181. The UK’s Forced Marriage Unit found that the largest proportion of forced marriage were year old victims (35% of total). Changing the law would therefore not prevent all forced marriages.
I think the fact that 16 and 17-year olds can get married only with their parents permission already protects children enough. If a parent thought getting married was a bad decision for their child, they could say no.
If we want to end child marriage, we need to educate everyone about gender equality and rights, not just criminalise it.
References:
1) Forced Marriage Unit Statistics,
©VotesForSchools2019

18. Should the UK increase the age of marriage to 18?
YES
In 2016, the UK’s Forced Marriage Unit gave advice to 1,428 young people. 15% of these cases involved victims under 16 years1 of age and 26% involved under-18s. This shows that child marriage is a real issue in the UK.
A 16 or 17-year old is not yet an adult. They cannot vote, leave education or training, or buy alcohol. If they can’t do these things, they are not emotionally mature enough to get married.
Marriage is a serious life commitment and should be decided on by the participants alone when they are mature enough.
Allowing children of 16 and 17 to get married with parental consent opens the door for forced marriages or at least pressure to get married.
The UK Government has committed to end child marriage under a number of international agreements and should apply this domestically as well as abroad.
References:
1) Forced Marriage Unit Statistics,
©VotesForSchools2019

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