Child marriage in the United States

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Child marriage in the United States is defined by the US Department of State as "a formal marriage or informal union where one or both parties is under the age of 18."[1] Between 2000 and 2015, 87% of child marriages in the U.S. involved underage girls, while 13% involved underage boys.[2][3]

Laws against child marriage[edit]

The age of marriage in the United States is 18, with the exception of Nebraska (19) and Mississippi (21). Every state allows exceptions to their age of marriage. Most states allow marriage at 16 and 17 with parental consent, and some states also make exceptions subject to judicial approval, or cases of pregnancy. When all exceptions are taken into account, 25 US states[4] have no minimum age requirement.[5][6] Twenty-five of the jurisdictions have a minimum age in these cases, the youngest being 13 (New Hampshire, females only).[7][6]

Laws against dissolution of child marriages[edit]

In many states, generally, children cannot initiate legal action in their own name, meaning a child is not allowed to initiate a divorce or annulment.[8][9] California does emancipate minors in child marriages (gives minors the rights of an adult), so they can file for a restraining order, get a divorce, and benefit from social services.[10][11] Florida also emancipates minors in child marriages.[9]

Statistics by jurisdiction[edit]

Statistics released by the Pew Research Center show that nearly 5 in every 1,000 15-17 year olds in the United States are married.[12] Child marriage is generally more common in the southern United States.[12]

Unchained at Last found that between 2000 and 2010, more than 167,000 children were married during that period.[13] They found that only 14% were between two children marrying each other[14] and that in most of the cases it was girls marrying men aged 18 or older, and at least 31% of these marriages were to a spouse aged 21 or older.[13] The youngest were three Tennessee 10-year-old girls who married men aged 24, 25 and 31 in 2001 and the youngest groom was an 11-year-old who married a 27-year-old woman in the same state in 2006.[14] Based on the correlation between population and incidence of child marriage, they estimated that nearly 248,000 children were married in the US during that time.[13]

New York[edit]

More than 3,800 children were married between 2000 and 2010 in the state of New York.[15]

Virginia[edit]

In 2016, Virginia changed its law to set 18 as a minimum age, and 16 in special circumstances with judicial approval; prior to that date there was no minimum age in the state. According to the Tahirh Justice Center, between 2004 and 2013 nearly 4,500 children under 18 were married in Virginia.[16]

Florida[edit]

Florida has come to media attention after reports of its lax child marriage regulations, and the high toleration of the practice.[17]

Statistics by gender[edit]

Young females are more likely to be married than young males.[1] According to statistics released by the Pew Research Center (based upon the American Community Survey):

  • 55% of those married at ages of 15-17 are female;
  • 66% of those married between the ages of 18-19 are female;
  • 60% of those married between the ages of a 20-24 are female.[12]

Causes of child marriage[edit]

Main article: Child marriage § Causes of child marriage

Consequences of child marriage[edit]

Main article: Child marriage § Consequences of child marriage

Initiatives to prevent child marriage[edit]

  • Released in 2016, the US Global Strategy to Empower Adolescent Girls[18] lists reducing child, early and forced marriage as a vital goal.[13]
  • In 2013, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act mandated that the US Secretary of State must 'establish and implement a multi-year, multi-sectoral strategy to end child marriage.'[19]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Child marriage". UNICEF. Retrieved 2017-02-21. 
  2. ^ Tsui, Nolan, Amico, Anjali, Dan, Chris. "Child Marriage in America By the Numbers". PBS Frontline. PBS. Retrieved 2017-09-11. 
  3. ^ Callahan, Kaya (September 9, 2017). "How YOU Can Help End Child Marriage in the U.S". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 2017-10-28. 
  4. ^ in 2017, Connecticut and Texas became the 24th and 25th states to set a minimum age [1] [2]
  5. ^ "Why does the US have so many child brides?". bbc.co.uk. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2017. 
  6. ^ a b "Understanding State Statutes on Minimum Marriage Age and Exceptions" (PDF). 
  7. ^ "Section 457:4 Marriageable". www.gencourt.state.nh.us. Retrieved 2017-02-21. 
  8. ^ Shanika Gunaratna (May 5, 2017). "The "ugly" reality of child marriage in the U.S". CBS News. Retrieved 2017-11-04. 
  9. ^ a b Amanda Parker (October 24, 2017). "Worse than Weinstein is the exploitation of Florida girls". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 2017-11-04. 
  10. ^ Anjali Tsui (September 14, 2017). "Child Marriage in America". FRONTLINE. PBS. Retrieved 2017-11-04. 
  11. ^ Family Code § 7002, also known as the Emancipation of Minors Law, enacted by Stats. 1992, Ch. 162, § 10.
  12. ^ a b c "Child marriage is rare in the U.S., though this varies by state". Pew Research Center. 2016-11-01. Retrieved 2017-02-21. 
  13. ^ a b c d "Perspective | Why can 12-year-olds still get married in the United States?". Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-02-21. 
  14. ^ a b Baynes, Chris (8 July 2017). "More than 200,000 children married in US over the last 15 years". The Independent. Retrieved 24 October 2017. 
  15. ^ "Governor Cuomo Signs Legislation Ending Child Marriage in New York". Governor of New York. 2017-06-20. Retrieved 2017-11-04. 
  16. ^ "Child Marriage in America: Current Laws Are Failing to Protect Vulnerable Children and Teens «  Tahirih Justice Center". www.tahirih.org. Retrieved 2017-02-21. 
  17. ^ "11 Years Old, a Mom, and Pushed to Marry Her Rapist in Florida". New York Times. 26 May 2017. 
  18. ^ "United States Global Strategy to Empower Adolescent Girls" (PDF). 
  19. ^ Brides, Girls Not. "United States - Child Marriage Around The World. Girls Not Brides". Girls Not Brides. Retrieved 2017-02-21. 
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