Child Marriage – More Than A Foreign Problem

When we hear the term ‘child marriage’ or ‘arranged marriage,’ we tend to think of foreign countries that are known for having teenage brides, but child marriages are happening here in the United States as well. Child marriage in the United States refers to a marriage in which one of the persons is under the age of 18.

Nearly 70% of child marriages end in divorce.

Teen brides are nearly three times more likely to have at least five children.

Their chance of living in poverty is 31% higher, and they are 50% more likely to drop out of school.

Child marriages are legal in approximately 48 states, with 28 of those states having ‘special sanctions’ such as age limits and parental consent.

In 2016, both New Jersey and Delaware passed legislation that ended all child marriages within their state.

Information obtained from The Washington Post

Human trafficking is all about power and control, and in that control dynamic, it is the person who has all the power who does the exploiting.

The International Labour Organization recognizes forced marriages — which often are also child marriages — as human trafficking.

In some cases of child marriage that are forced, the parents or guardians who consent often have something to gain from the union. There could be a makeshift ‘dowry’ of money, the financial gain of not having another mouth to feed or anything else of value in exchange for their child. That exchange is the selling of another human being — that exchange is human trafficking.

Similar to human trafficking, child marriages take away ones rights to do as they please since they are now seen as someone’s ‘property.’ The matter of the being under 18 years of age stymies the victim’s ability to get a divorce, get a job, find another place to live or even open a bank account. The person who is married to a child has all the control.

Both child marriages and human trafficking force someone to stay in a situation they wish to leave — and in some instances a third party has reaped the benefits of it.

It is important for us to learn how to be a voice for those who may not have one. It is also important for us to understand that child marriages occur in the United States. As a matter of fact, in 48 states, it’s legal.

Similar to other states, the minimum age to marry in North Carolina is 18 without parental consent.

However, children as young as 16 are legally allowed to marry with parental consent.

Children as young as 14 can marry with judicial approval in the case that one of the persons is pregnant or a parent.

NC Statute

As of 2017, the national average for 15 to 17 year olds married is 4.6 per 1,000 people in this age group.

The rate of child marriage in North Carolina is slightly higher — at 5.4 per 1,000 people in this age group.

Child marriages in the United States are not new.

In New Jersey, 3,481 children were married between 1995 and 2012.

In Texas, 34,790 children were married, with the youngest being 13, between the years 2000 and 2010.

Child marriages require parental consent, which brings up the question of what parents would want to wed their child off?

Some of these marriages are seen as an ‘easy way out’ for parents. Other parents may actually be gaining something, whether it be money or fame, in exchange for their child.

In recent news, R.Kelly has appeared in court and was jailed again for sexual abuse of minors from 1998 to 2010. R. Kelly has actually married a child. His illegal marriage to late singer Aaliyah, who was 15 at the time of the marriage, has been rehashed in the media as more allegations of his sexual abuse of children has resurfaced. R. Kelly has been accused of creating child pornography, sexual abuse and holding minors in an alleged ‘sex cult.’

Most — if not all — of the victims were introduced to R.Kelly by their parents who had given him consent to work with their child, even though it was widely known that he was a sexual predator.

It has been widely speculated that the parents were promised some form of payment to keep quiet about the abuse going on.

While parents are expected to protect their children from any form of harm or danger, it is important to know that not all parents do it, which is why still allowing child marriages to exist as a policy is antiquated and needs to be changed across all 48 states that still adhere to it.

There are multiple organizations that are fighting to put an end to child marriages across the world as well as in the United States. Child marriages need to end!

Unchained At Last is the only organization in the US dedicated to helping women and girls leave or avoid arranged/forced marriages and rebuild their lives. Unchained provides women and girls with free legal and social services and emotional support.

Girls Not Brides is a global partnership of more than 1000 civil society organizations from over 95 countries committed to ending child marriage and enabling girls to fulfill their potential.

International Center for Research on Women is a leader among organizations advocating for the United States to become more involved in curbing child marriages.

Breakthrough U.S works to change the attitudes and assumptions around gender that lead to violence and discrimination.

CARE works around the globe to save lives, defeat poverty and achieve social justice.

Humanium is an international child sponsorship NGO dedicated to stopping violations of children’s rights throughout the world.