THE AGE OF MARRIAGE AND AGE OF CONSENT: CROSS-BRUNCH LEGAL CONFLICTS

Currently, all over the world, including in Muslim countries, there is a tendency to increase the age of marriage. In Russia, the law does not directly set the minimum age of marriage. The reduction of the age of marriage is possible up to 16 years if there are valid reasons for it. The family laws of the subjects of the Russian Federation may establish the conditions and procedure for marriage of persons under this age. A literal interpretation of laws indicates the absence of lower age limit at marriage. The article deals with the correlation of the concepts of "marriage age" and "age of consent". Analysis of the Art. 134 of the Criminal Code allows to conclude that the provision on marriage to the victim, as a basis for exemption from punishment, contradicts the basic conditions of marriage. In fact, when making a decision, the courts cannot reliably determine for what purpose the marriage was concluded, whether there are grounds to consider the marriage fictitious, concluded for the avoidance of criminal punishment or for another selfish purpose. In criminal cases, it should be mandatory to ensure the participation of the staff of the guardianship authority in the criminal process, giving them the right to conduct inspections and to give conclusions about the real desire of the couple to create a family. It seems controversial to apply the rule of exemption from punishment due to change of the situation to the perpetrator who committed the crime under Art. 134 of the Criminal Code. The act itself does not cease to be socially dangerous: sexual relations with a person under the age of consent are still ongoing, and marriage does not entail a legal right to sexual relations with a minor under the age of 16, at least not expressly provided for by law. It is proposed to define a special obligation for the release of the guilty from punishment: if a marriage concluded with a person under the age of 16 years is terminated at the initiative of a probationer earlier than four years after his imprisonment, the court may decide to abolish the conditional sentence and the execution of the sentence imposed by the court.