Census figures from 2010 show that nearly 43,000 children under 14 years of age are living with a partner in Brazil

Brazil’s penal code prohibits marriage with children under 14 and defines sex with them as statutory rape. It is not uncommon for families to ask the court for permission to marry off a daughter younger than 14. Many are unaware that it is against the law. The states in which these unions are most common have Brazil’s lowest per-capita income.