Think forced and child marriage don’t happen in the United States? Here are the stories of survivors who have experienced forced marriage (where one or both parties do not give full, free, consent) or child marriage (where one or both parties is under 18, often a form of forced marriage) in the U.S.
Jenn was 16 and recovering from an ectopic pregnancy when her parents forced her to marry her 44-year-old rapist and abuser. Even though their age difference made the relationship a felony, she never spoke to a judge, and no one did anything to intervene.
When Jen was 14, her mother threatened to throw her out on the street if she didn’t marry the 21-year-old man who lied to her and pretended to be a teenager.
Mandy’s mother told her it was “God’s will” that she marry her longtime abuser when she was just 17; she was ostracized by her family and excommunicated from her church once she divorced him.
At the age of 15, Sara was forced to marry a man nearly twice her age, whom she had just met that morning.
Carol was just 14 when she was threatened and coerced into marrying the 20-year-old man who stalked, raped and impregnated her.
No one — including the U.S. government — stopped a 26-year-old man from taking Allison halfway across the world to the U.S. to marry her when she was only 16.
When Saira broke off her forced engagement, her family threatened to beat her and kick her out.
After Aliya’s guardians took her abroad at 17 to marry a complete stranger against her will, they told her, “The only way you’re going to get out of this marriage is if you die.”
Jean knew right away at age 15 that the volatile 27-year-old man her mother had forced her to marry was a bully. She tried to run away from him, but her mother would not let her.
April was barely 15 and all alone; her parents had abandoned her. He was a 22-year-old “friend” who had been grooming her since she was 12. He raped her on their wedding night and continued to sexually assault her almost daily in nearly every imaginable way.
Pat was 14 and pregnant when her parents married her off to the 27-year-old bible study counselor who had been raping her for two years.
No one asked Michelle at 16 if she was sure she wanted to get married, and no one helped her when the beatings started.
Mariam knew she did not want an arranged marriage at all, but having her own mother yelling, crying and insulting her for not obeying her demands had an impact on her.
Chung’s mother had no choice but to marry his father during the Cambodian civil war (the couple-matching rule created by the communist leaders at that time). The war ended, and his father became violent and cruel.
Syeda was forced into marriage at age 16 in Pakistan. But when she was 25, her husband followed her to the U.S. and moved in with her and her family – and he subjected her to unspeakable physical and sexual abuse.
Julia wanted to reject her arranged marriage at 15, but the brutality was just too great. Her choices were to obey or suffer the wrath.
Zubaida thought her life in the U.S. would be wonderful when she was brought here from overseas as part of an arranged marriage to an American man. It wasn’t.
Esther was barely 17 when she was forced to marry a man who raped her regularly and arranged for other men to gang rape her so he could watch.
Jamie was Unchained’s first client. She was pressured into an arranged marriage at age 19 – to a man who beat and raped her and abused their children.