Child Marriage: An International and National Concern
BOSTON (Sept. 22, 2021) Survivors, advocates, and elected officials dressed in bridal gowns and veils, with arms chained and mouths taped, gathered on the steps of the Massachusetts State House for a “chain-in” to call on the legislature to pass H1709/S937, the pending bill that would end child marriage in Massachusetts.
In ancient and medieval times, it was common to give girls away in arranged marriage by the time they hit puberty, or earlier (Laiou, Angeliki, 1993). Unfortunately, this outmoded patriarchal custom is not history. Around the world children are still being forced and sold into marriage. Bartered like property, they often lead lives of domestic servitude, trapped without legal rights, or the ability to make their own medical or reproductive decisions. This is not only occurring in underdeveloped countries, but also in America, legally, with permission from a parent or judge.
BOSTON (Sept. 22, 2021) Survivors, advocates, and elected officials dressed in bridal gowns and veils, with arms chained and mouths taped, gathered on the steps of the Massachusetts State House for a “chain-in” to call on the legislature to pass H1709/S937, the pending bill that would end child marriage in Massachusetts. A loophole in current law allows children of any age to be entered into marriage by a parent and a judge, without input from the child.
UGANDA (February 15, 2020) Portraits of teen mothers and children in Imvepi Refugee Settlement.
Forced to Marry from Capture Humanity on Vimeo.
BOSTON (Sept. 22, 2021) Massachusetts resident Jennifer Bradbury, survivor of forced marriage, during a protest to end child marriage in Massachusetts, said she was only 14 years old when she met a 40-year-old man whom she wed two years later in Florida with her parents and a judge's consent.