It was just the other day that I was ,writing of the momentous 2020 that Students Against Child Marriage experienced. Well, it seems like ages ago in light of the incredible past week we’ve had! Last Monday, we launched the nationwide campaign calling on the Biden-Harris administration to end child marriage in its first 100 days. This effort involved our entire team and leveraged grass-tops activism to widely circulate our message on social media. While we had considered such a campaign for some time, it was through the guidance and connections of the ,newest member of our Board of Directors ..read more

Child marriage is an overarching problem that intersects with other issues that affect all Americans. The repercussions of child marriage are all-encompassing and can affect the child’s ,,health, safety, and economic ,,freedom - all key components of reproductive justice. Today I will be discussing the intersections between child marriage and reproductive justice. In legislation that ,,continues to perpetrate child marriage in the United States, pregnancy is often an exception in ,,state legislation to perpetuate child marriage. This means that in some states, pregnancy ,,can be used to lower ..read more

A Fight to Ban Child Marriage For years advocates have worked tirelessly to enact life-saving child marriage legislation in the United States. However, in the last three years, only ,four states have banned child marriage without exceptions. In the remaining ,states and territories, dangerous ,legal loopholes still allow children to marry. The U.S. doesn't allow children to ,vote, get a full-time job, sign a lease, buy a car, adopt a child. So why does it allow them to get married? Entering marriage as a child can have devastating and long-lasting ,impacts. Despite these serious and sometimes ..read more

Child marriage is a current widespread issue that ,violates basic human rights. It hinders the social and economic development of children. The history of child marriage is rooted in gender inequality, illustrating how young girls and women will be deemed at a low value. This preconceived notion put towards young girls and women causes the idea of child marriage to be accepted in societies as a social norm and become commonly practiced. ,Unfortunately, more than 140 million girls will marry in the next decade or nearly 40,000 girls per day if this continues. Socio-economic statuses, ,education ..read more

Over the past decade, teenage birth rates have decreased in the United States. However, teenage motherhood remains a pressing issue in the U.S., one that disproportionately impacts ethnically and economically marginalized communities. Previous research has indicated that federally funded health clinics that offer family planning and contraceptive services may help reduce teenage birth rates. A 2018 ,study published in Social Science & Medicine sought to further understand this relationship, specifically in terms of geographical distance. Looking at Texas The ,study, conducted by researcher ..read more

Earlier in 2020, Pennsylvania became the third ,state to ban child marriage in the U.S. On May 8, 2020, Governor Tom Wolf ,signed ,House Bill 360 into law following a unanimous vote in the Pennsylvania Congress. "Setting the minimum age to obtain a marriage license will help prevent child exploitation," Wolf said in a ,news release, "Marriage is a sacred and serious commitment that should be undertaken with love by two adults, not by children being exploited by unscrupulous adults." Prior to the passage of H.B. 360, children under the age of 16 could ,obtain a marriage license with court appro ..read more

Today, child marriage is still legal in 46 states. In June 2018, Governor Phil Murphy signed Senate Bill 427 into law, making New Jersey the second state to ban child marriage without exceptions. “In New Jersey, we are dedicated to protecting children by putting an end to child marriages by raising the minimum age to 18,” said Gov. Murphy. “I am proud to join with the Legislature to make New Jersey a national leader on this important human rights issue.” Before the passage of this legislation, minors who were 16 or 17 could marry with parental consent. Minors under the age of 16 could marry wi ..read more

Talk about a year! From a global pandemic and a divisive ,election to the spotlight cast on ,racial inequality and police brutality, 2020 has been one for the record books. In spite of all of the challenges we faced, the world has shown once again what it’s capable of accomplishing even in trying times. We demonstrated that we can be a better and stronger world when we work together. If you want evidence, look no further than Students Against Child Marriage! Though it sometimes feels like we have been working for a decade, our nonprofit just turned six months old. We’ve grown from a small team ..read more

America’s child marriage crisis once again ,broke national headlines this week. The latest in this abusive institution: Idaho’s antiquated and unacceptable laws and their role in perpetuating ,an abusive system that entraps minors. Idaho currently allows 16- and 17-year-olds to be married simply with parental consent. With parents frequently the perpetrators of abusive child marriages, these laws do little to prevent minors from being forced into harmful arranged marriages. As the Washington Post reports, this exact, nightmarish situation unfolded earlier this year and reached the Idaho Suprem ..read more

If the ,New York State Senate voting to end child marriage wasn’t enough, less than an hour later the Rhode Island State Senate voted to advance our legislation as well. S398, sponsored by our legislative champion, Senator John Burke, received bipartisan support from the entire chamber and was passed unanimously. Rhode Island’s ,existing marital laws set a superficial minimum marital age at 18. Though this might appear to protect against child marriage on the surface, abusive, forced marriages are still entirely possible because of dangerous loopholes to this law. If S398 becomes law, Rhode Is ..read more