Connecticut could end child marriage right now — but the senate is not moving a pending bill that the house already passed, and the governor promised to sign, to end this human rights abuse. And if they don’t act by Wednesday, the bill will die.
This calls for an emergency protest.
We will Chain-In in Hartford on June 2. We will wear bridal gowns and chains to urge Connecticut senators to pass HB6569, the simple, commonsense bill that would eliminate all marriage before age 18, no exceptions.
If the senate doesn’t take action, we may turn this into a perpetual Chain-In: We will Chain-In at the capitol EVERY DAY until the end of the legislative session (June 7), unless the senate passes the bill.
Speakers at the Chain-In will include:
- Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, legislative champion
- Rep. Sarah Keitt, legislative champion
- Bridget Koestner, Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence
- Jenn Bradbury, child marriage survivor
- Becca Powell, Unchained At Last
- Fraidy Reiss, Unchained At Last and forced marriage survivor
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 Hartford
June 2 | 10:30 a.m.
South side of the Connecticut State Capitol
210 Capitol Ave., Hartford, CT
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.