Child marriage horrors reach Idaho Supreme Court

One of the horrors of child marriage — the ease with which parents can marry off their teen for selfish reasons and leave the teen trapped in a legal nightmare — has made its way to the Idaho Supreme Court.

Idaho Supreme Court justices heard oral arguments today in the case of a Boise mother seeking full custody of her daughter and the annulment of her daughter’s marriage. The woman’s ex-husband married off their then-16-year-old daughter to a stranger in a sham marriage so the daughter would be emancipated and he could bypass the courts regarding custody and child support.

This case highlights just one of the horrific dangers of the child marriage loopholes that remain in 44 U.S. states. Several state and national media outlets covered the case, including The Daily Beast, The Associated Press and the Idaho Post Register.

Learn more about child marriage in the U.S. and our work to end it.

If you haven’t done so already, register for our virtual screening of Woman and post-film discussion of the plight of women today, including forced and child marriage.