Legal gaps and enduring harm: Analysing the persistence of child marriage in the United States

Our new report, Legal Gaps and Enduring Harm: Analysing the Persistence of Child Marriage in the United States, produced in partnership with Equality Now, exposes how state and federal loopholes continue to enable child marriage, and what must change to finally end it.

Summary

• Across most of the U.S., child marriage, defined as any formal or informal union involving a person under 18, remains legal.
• Our research found that, between 2000 and 2021, more than 314,000 minors were legally married, some as young as just 10 years old.
• Since 2018, 16 states have enacted laws prohibiting marriage under the age of 18 without exceptions. Despite this progress, a substantial legal overhaul is still required to fully and effectively ban child marriage across the U.S.
• Equality Now and Unchained At Last have analyzed the ongoing legal and systemic gaps that enable child marriage to persist in the U.S.

What’s inside the report?

• An overview of international legal standards on child marriage
• A comprehensive analysis of legal gaps in domestic law and policy that permit and encourage child marriage in the U.S.
• An outline of the consequences women and girls can experience when exceptions to minimum age marriage laws remain in place
• A detailed list of recommendations for state and federal policymakers, civil society, and international actors to take meaningful action to end the harmful practice and uphold the rights of girls across the country

Who’s it for?

• State and federal policymakers
• Civil society organizations
• Representatives from international human rights mechanisms

Key recommendations

• State legislators should set 18 as the minimum age of marriage without exceptions.
• Federal legislators and agencies should close legal loopholes in federal laws and  incentivize all states and territories to strengthen protections in child marriage laws.
• Civil society organizations should continue to raise awareness about child marriage and mobilize communities to advocate for change.
• International advocates should hold the U.S. accountable to international human rights standards.

Download the full report