A father who arranged for his 12-year-old daughter to marry and have sex with a 26-year-old university student, resulting in her falling pregnant, has been jailed for at least six years.

"His role was to protect her, not put her into a relationship where she was at risk of pregnancy at the age of 12," Judge Deborah Sweeney said in sentencing the 63-year-old in the Downing Centre District Court on Friday.

"That this man thought his actions were justified by his religious faith does not excuse what he did," she said.

The father, whose name is suppressed to protect his daughter's identity, was convicted on April 1 of "intentionally procuring a child under 14 for unlawful sexual activity" and for "inciting" and "encouraging" this activity to take place.