13-year-olds can't get married in Virginia, anymore

Virginia State authorities recently set a new law making the minimum marriage age 18.

Previously it was legal for 12-year-old and 13-year-old girls to get married if they had parental consent and were pregnant.

SEE ALSO: Utah man suing for right to marry his computer

And according to The Post, the new law takes parents and pregnancy out of the equation.

Between 2004 and 2013, around 4,500 children under the age of 18 got married in the state of Virginia. Over 200 of them were 15 years old or younger.

Activists fighting for the law change said they wanted to curb human trafficking and statutory rape disguised as marriage.

One of the groups pushing for the change said the previous law created a fast track to child marriages so abusers could simply marry their victims to evade investigation by child welfare officials.

According to the World Policy Centre, 88 percent of countries around the world have a legal minimum age of 18 for marriage.

There are still currently six U.S. states where girls can get married under the age of 16 with parental consent.

Related: Learn more about child marriage in Bangladesh: