We know reading our founder/executive director Fraidy Reiss’s piece in HuffPost — in which she describes the trauma of being forced to marry, have unprotected sex and become a mother — might be painful for you.
But we ask that you read it and share it widely anyway. Because writing it was even more painful for Fraidy.
And the world needs to know about the reality of forced marriage in the United States, if we have any hope of ending it.
We have more than DOUBLED our goal of raising $100k in the last 50 days of 2023 to help end forced and child marriage in the U.S. But we can do more! Child marriage remains legal in 40 U.S. states, so we still have quite the battle ahead.
You still have a matter of hours left to donate to our 50-for-50 year-end campaign, which will help us take a stand against forced and child marriage in 2024 and beyond.
Did you know that our Chain-Ins — the unique form of protest we invented, at which we gather in bridal gowns and chains to demand an end to forced and child marriage — have garnered huge media attention? They have been featured on Hillary and Chelsea Clinton’s Gutsy series on Apple TV+ and in the LA Times, Washington Post, New York Times and more.
And did you know that we have Chained-In 18 times since 2015, in eight U.S. states — seven of which went on to end child marriage? In fact, the Connecticut state senate, which had held up the child-marriage ban for weeks, finally passed it unanimously just minutes after our Chain-In, as a direct result.
And did you know our 19th Chain-In will be in Olympia, Washington, in January?
Please help us raise $100k in the last 50 days of 2023 so we can continue pushing — in bridal gowns and chains when necessary — to end forced and child marriage in all 50 U.S. states.
Once again, our research on child marriage has been published in a peer-reviewed journal — as we continue to push the United States to acknowledge and eliminate its child marriage problem.
Our article in Child Abuse & Neglect, co-authored with Prof. Alissa Koski and Kaya Van Roost of McGill University, shows that child marriage remains legal and happening at an alarming rate in most of the U.S. Like in other countries, child marriage here reflects a devaluation of girls.
Please help us raise $100k by the end of 2023 to help end child marriage in all 50 U.S. states. Because we know you agree with us that girls matter.
As Unchained’s facility dog and chief cuddle officer, I have found — to my chagrin — that it takes more than short walks and long naps to support survivors of forced marriage.
For instance, did you know court filing fees for a survivor to seek a divorce can cost $250? Or that a week’s worth of groceries (including, I hope, liverwurst) for a survivor who has fled a forced marriage can cost $50?
So I am begging you: Please help us raise $100k in the last 50 days of 2023, so we can continue supporting survivors in 50 U.S. states.
Every dollar you give, up to $75,000, will be matched by a generous donor — and by a belly rub for me. Note that I deserve a LOT of belly rubs.
This year, with you as our partner, we helped to end child marriage in three U.S. states — Vermont, Connecticut and Michigan — the first time we won that many legislative victories in one year.
That means we are now 10 down, 40 to go, as we continue to lead the national movement to end child marriage in the U.S. We have come through for the 7.5 million girls who live in those 10 states, but tens of millions more girls are waiting for us.
We already are gearing up for multiple legislative battles in 2024. In fact, we plan to stage a Chain-In protest in Olympia in January, in bridal gowns and chains, to convince Washington legislators that girls matter.
Please help us raise $100k in the last 50 days of 2023, so we can win this important battle for girls in all 50 U.S. states.
A generous donor will match every dollar you give, up to $75,000.
NOTE: Due to inclement weather, this Chain-In will instead be a “Silent Chain-In” inside the rotunda of the Legislative Building instead of on the outside steps.
Child marriage is an urgent problem in Washington. Dangerous legal loopholes allow parents to enter a child of ANY AGE into marriage without any input required from the child, and without any real legal recourse for a child who does not want to marry.
Some 5,048 minors as young as 13 were entered into marriage in Washington between 2000 and 2021. More than 80% were girls wed to adult men, and between 38 and 51 marriages occurred with a spousal age difference that met the definition of a sex crime.
Furthermore, child marriage creates a nightmarish legal trap that destroys nearly every aspect of an American girl’s life. There’s a reason the U.S. State Department has called marriage before 18 a “human rights abuse.”
This calls for a protest.
We will Chain-In in Olympia on January 18. We will wear bridal gowns and chains to urge legislators to pass SB5695/HB1455, the simple, commonsense bill that would end child marriage in Washington.
Speakers include:
We also will sing and chant against forced and child marriage, including a rendition of The Girls You Have Destroyed, a chilling poem/song we wrote about child marriage in the United States.
Chain-In Olympia
January 18 | 12:00 p.m.
North Steps of the Washington State Capitol
416 Sid Snyder Ave. SW, Olympia, WA 98504
Child Marriage in the United States
We at Unchained started and now lead a growing national movement to end child marriage in the United States by making the marriage age 18, no exceptions, in all 50 states.
Marriage before 18 can too easily be forced, because minors, even a day before their 18th birthday, have limited legal rights that make resisting or escaping an unwanted marriage nearly impossible. Further, marriage before 18 is a human rights abuse that destroys American girls’ health, education and economic opportunities and greatly increases their risk of experiencing violence.
Join the movement. Chain-In with us to demand an end to this human rights abuse.
Jenn was 16 when her parents forced her to marry her 44-year-old rapist and abuser. When she tried to leave, she lost everything — including custody of her children.
Jenn now partners with us, publicly sharing her painful story to convince legislators and others across the U.S. to ban child marriage.
“I couldn’t imagine doing anything else, no matter how hard,” Jenn said.
Child marriage remains legal in most of the U.S. and continues to happen at an alarming rate — mostly to girls who are married to adult men. With your support and partnerships with survivors like Jenn, we have helped to ban child marriage in 10 U.S. states so far. Only 40 states to go!
Please help us raise $100k in the last 50 days of 2023, so we can continue leading the national movement to end forced and child marriage in all 50 U.S. states.
A generous donor will match every dollar you give, up to $75,000.
Are you a rockstar who’s passionate about ending forced and child marriage in the U.S.? Do you have at least three years of professional experience? Do you have excellent written and oral communication skills? Are you detail oriented and highly organized?
Then you might be our next Advocacy Associate! Learn more and apply now (but only if you want a deeply meaningful, adventure-filled job that makes all your friends jealous).
While we’d love to simply shout, “Alohomora!” and unlock survivors’ metaphorical chains, escaping a forced marriage and rebuilding a life takes a lot more work than just casting a spell.
One of the many ways we support forced and child marriage survivors is by hosting an annual retreat to give our clients and their children a day of fun — and to give survivors a chance to meet, mingle and share their inspiring stories. Our clients are at all different stages in their journeys, and these retreats help them build a network of support with one another. After all, in the words of the late, great Albus Dumbledore, “You need your friends.”
So this year, we took Dumbledore’s advice and headed to Broadway on Sunday to celebrate Halloween early and watch the spellbinding play “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.” We gathered for a group lunch beforehand, then we headed to the Lyric Theatre to immerse ourselves in the Wizarding World.
Last year, we watched “Aladdin” on Broadway together, and in years past, we’ve taken group day trips to Six Flags theme park.
Please make an unbreakable vow to support our work so we can continue to uplift survivors escaping forced and child marriages and provide powerful experiences for them to encourage and share with each other.
