Child Marriage in the United States



Many know that child marriage is a problem in the world.  I've personally read a number of testimonies of young girls from the Middle East who were forcibly married off against their will and were subject to rape, beatings, and all kinds of mental and physical abuse.  For some, their only way of escape was suicide.  However, a documentary film by the organization "Unchained at Last" revealed that child marriage, particularly of underage girls to adult men, is a serious problem in the United States.  It is estimated that between 2000 and 2010, nearly 250,000 children were married off, most against their will.  Many states don't have laws mandating that you have to be at least 18 to marry.  Even states that do have these laws often have exceptions made such as "The child can marry if the parents give consent" or "The Judge chooses to recognize the child as a consenting adult." 


Nobody in the country, regardless of race or religion, is safe from child marriage.  Women who fall victim to child marriage are far more likely to not complete their education and to live in poverty.  The experience is both mentally and physically abusive for the child, especially if the girl ends up pregnant at a young age.  Many children find themselves trapped.  All too often their parents won't help them and the police treat them as runaway minors if they try and escape, forcing them to go back to their families and abusive spouses against their will.  There have even been instances where the police try and prosecute people who take these children in and shelter them after they run away.  Thankfully, organizations like Unchained at Last are bringing this matter to both State and Federal Government and are pressing laws to be passed and amended to end the loopholes allowing for child marriage and bringing those who engage in the practice to justice.  As a result, the number of child marriages per year is dropping, but more must be done to ensure that this practice ends once and for all.  All fifty states need to be pressured to end Child Marriage once and for all. 

https://www.unchainedatlast.org/laws-to-end-child-marriage/

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