Paulina Quintao – The United Nations Population Fund recommends the Timor-Leste government should create a new law or strengthen existing laws that set the age people can get married.

Executive Director of UNFPA Babatunde Osotimehin said getting pregnant at a young age could hinder girls' rights, health and education and could cause fatal complications for the mother and baby.

"The government needs to promulgate and strengthen the national laws about increasing the age of marriage to 18, and needs to promote community efforts which support the rights of young girls and discourage child marriage," said UNFPA Director Babatunde Osotimehin in Dili.

At the same place, Priest Jose Tacain said this was also a big concern of the Catholic Church, as in church people can get married at 14 years old.

"So we recommend the government cooperates with the church in order to decide on the marriage age, if not, health authorities say they should be 20 years old and the church says they can marry at 14," said Priest Tacain.

In regards to cases of children as young as 12 years old having sexual relations, he said this was bad and they should create strong laws to regulate things like this.

Meanwhile, the Head of Youth Reproductive Health in the Ministry of Health, Luisa Barros, said they talked to Bishops at the Dili, Baucau and Maliana Dioceses to create guidelines and to look into the issue.

She added from a health perspective the proper age for girls to get married was 20 and for boys 25 years old, because they are physically and mentally ready to become fathers or mothers.

In another part, National Commission for Children's Rights technical professional Jose Coreia da Piedade said parents should be in control and must have a conscience themselves.

"I think we can create a law but if the family and the individual don't care, even if we create a law they will continue to violate it," he said.