Child marriage, defined as formal or informal marriage before the age of 18, is a globally recognized indicator of gender inequality. Canada has placed itself at the forefront of global efforts to end child marriage as part of its commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Despite these global aspirations, child marriage remains legal throughout Canada. Data from vital statistics agencies and recent censuses indicate that child marriage, although rare, is practiced across the country. In 2016, nearly 2,300 children between 15 and 17 years of age were in union, a prevalence of 0.2 percent. The vast majority (98 percent) of these were informal, common‐law unions. Demographic patterns of child marriage in Canada are similar to those observed in many low‐ and middle‐income countries. Girls were far more likely to be married as children than boys and typically wed much older spouses. There were marked differences in the prevalence of child marriage across the country, with the highest estimates found in Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and the territories. These findings draw attention to the discrepancy between Canada's domestic law and its foreign policy. They also highlight thorny challenges inherent in efforts to eradicate this practice in Canada and elsewhere.

中文翻译：

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加拿大的童婚

童婚定义为18岁之前的正式婚姻或非正式婚姻，是全球公认的性别不平等指标。作为对联合国可持续发展目标的承诺的一部分，加拿大已将其全球终止童婚的努力置于最前沿。尽管有这些全球愿望，童婚仍然在整个加拿大合法。来自生命统计机构和最近的人口普查的数据表明，童婚虽然很罕见，但却在全国范围内进行。2016年，将近2,300名15至17岁的儿童参加了工会，患病率为0.2％。其中绝大多数（98％）是非正式的普通法同盟。加拿大童婚的人口模式与许多低收入和中等收入国家的情况相似。女童比男童更容易结婚，通常与年龄较大的配偶结婚。全国童婚的发生率存在明显差异，其中最高的估计发生在艾伯塔省，曼尼托巴省，萨斯喀彻温省和这些地区。这些发现引起人们对加拿大国内法与外交政策之间差异的关注。他们还强调了在加拿大和其他地方铲除这种做法所固有的棘手挑战。