Several minors were as young as 10 nearly all were 16 or 17, the study said. Of that figure, 86% were girls and most were married to adult men, the newspaper reported. Nearly 5,000 children were married in New York between 20, according to a study released in April by Unchained at Last, a nonprofit that advocates against child marriage in the United States.Īccording to the study, nearly 300,000 children were legally married nationally during that same time period, the Post reported. It’s hard to believe, but *thousands* of minors, including children as young as 10 years old, are legally married every year in the US. This is a victory for everyone who’s advocating to end child marriages and forced marriages. Minors who were 16 and 17 were allowed to marry with only parental consent. Since 1929, New York has permitted 14- and 15-year-olds to marry with judicial and parental approval, the newspaper reported. New York raised the age of consent from 14 to 17 with parental or judicial consent in 2017, according to The New York Times. The bill, called Nalia’s Law, is named after a survivor who was forced to marry when she was 13, NBC News reported. Most states still allow youths under the age of 18 to marry, including those who are legally emancipated or who have parental consent or judicial approval, CBS News reported. Virgin Islands and American Samoa, the newspaper reported. Minnesota, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware have enacted similar laws, along with the U.S. Daniel McKee signed legislation barring minors from being married, The Washington Post reported. The law will take effect in 30 days and will apply to licenses issued after the date, and marriages that had not been solemnized before that date, WABC reported.
I thank the many legislators & advocates who made this law possible. You can also join the National Coalition to End Child Marriage in the U.S., and urge your friends and family to take these steps as well.We've fought hard to successfully end child marriage and today I'm proud to sign legislation raising the age of consent to be married in NYS to 18. § 2243(c)(2) and to educate their congressional colleagues about the issue of child marriage, you can call them to follow up. In addition to emailing your members of Congress urging them to sponsor or support a bill to repeal 18 U.S.C. laws with international standards and discouraging child marriage and rape in the U.S. § 2243(c)(2) is a simple, commonsense step towards aligning U.S. The law can effectively turn child marriage into a “get out of jail free” card for predators. This law not only suggests that the federal government condones the practice of child marriage, it allows an adult to engage in sexual activity with children as young as 12, and gives sexual predators an incentive to force a child to marry them. Section 2243(c)(2) allows a defense to this crime when “the persons engaging in the sexual act were at that time married to each other.” This means that, at the federal level, child marriage is viewed as a valid defense to statutory rape. Section 2243(a), on the Sexual Abuse of a Minor, applies when a person “knowingly engages in a sexual act with another person” who is between the ages of 12 and 16 and is at least four years younger than the perpetrator. It does not have to be forcible, because a minor is not legally able to consent. Statutory rape is when one of the parties to sexual activity is below the age of consent. The vast majority were girls wed to adult men, many much older. Approximately 248,000 children were married in the U.S. states do not require any minimum age for marriage, with a parental or judicial waiver.
Child marriage is currently legal in 44 states (only Delaware, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island have set the minimum age at 18 and eliminated all exceptions), and 20 U.S. What is child marriage, and is it really happening in the United States?Ĭhild marriage occurs when one or both of the parties to the marriage are below the age of 18. states meet this standard and that the federal government provides a child marital exception for statutory rape? Equality Now works around the world to end child, early, and forced marriage, applying our legal expertise in support of partners, individual cases, and legislative efforts. Equality Now and our partners advocate that the minimum age for marriage be set at 18, no exceptions.īut did you know that only four U.S. When young girls are forced to marry, they are essentially subject to state-sanctioned rape and are at risk of increased domestic violence, forced pregnancy, and negative health consequences, while being denied education and economic opportunity. It is a human rights violation that legitimizes abuse and denies girls’ autonomy.
There are too many exceptions to child marriage laws in the United StatesĬhild marriage is harmful. Learn more about the loopholes which allow marriage under the age of 18 in most U.S.