The US of A, the self-proclaimed greatest country in the world has a grotesque side to it which most people are not even aware of.
As of 2021, as the world moves forward towards marriage equality, same-sex marriage while understanding consent in a better way – America still has the concept of child marriage.
4 American states have banned child marriage, it is still legal in 46 of the 50 states
You’d expect that “progressive” states like New York and California would have outlawed child marriage first, but they still practice it.
The four states to ban child marriage are Minnesota, Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania’s legislature voted unanimously to approve the ban on child marriage, and now it has made it into a part of House Bill 360.
Pennsylvania Governor Wolf said:
“Setting the minimum age to obtain a marriage license will help prevent child exploitation. Marriage is a sacred and serious commitment that should be undertaken with love by two adults, not by children being exploited by unscrupulous adults.”
The law sets the minimum age to get married at 18. Before the ban, even the kids younger than 16 could get a marriage license with court approval.
In the USA, 12-year-old kids are married, most of them are girls
Since 2014, 2,300 children of ages 15-17 were married in Pennsylvania. Child marriage by its definition itself is either done by force or manipulation, in most cases older men marrying girl children.
Marriage license data showed that 248,000 children were legally married in US in the last 10 years. 77% of them were girls as young as 12, married to much older men. Which would account for human trafficking and rape in most part of the world, but in the USA it has been just the good old-fashioned marriage.
America doesn’t even a minimum age limit for marriage
The strangest thing about the US is that many states do not have a minimum age limit for marriage, meaning children of any age can get married. Although the 47 states where child marriage is still legal, marriage requires court approval or parental consent. This still leaves the ground for manipulation of justice or coercion on the family of the young girls.
Laws don’t require to ask the consent of the kids being forced into marriage
The laws don’t even require to ask the kids if they have consented to the marriage. Marriage is considered approved as long as the parent gives consent.
Unchained writes:
“Even when a girl sobs openly while her parents sign the application and force her into marriage, the clerk has no authority to intervene.”
Unchained’s founder said:
“It’s three states down, only 47 to go in the push to end child marriage in the United States.”
All Featured Images Courtesy: CBS