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Journalism of Courage
The British Virgin Islands has begun to enforce a law that extends legal rights to children born out of wedlock.
Health and Social Development Minister Ronnie Skelton says the law repeals a 1929 act and ends discriminatory practices against children whose parents were not married. The law was approved in March and went into effect on Friday.
Previously, children born outside of marriage could be prevented from enrolling in certain schools and were not automatically entitled to inheritances.
Government statistics show that 63 per cent of children born in the British Virgin Islands between 2008 and 2010 were born to unmarried parents.
