The United States is not on track to keep its promise under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to end forced marriage — a harmful practice that is recognized as a form of modern slavery — by year 2030.
Which is why earlier this year we partnered with Columbia University researchers to launch MOVE (Marriage, Orthodoxy and a Vision of Empowerment), a three-year, survivor-co-led, first-of-its-kind project to study and combat forced marriage, forced marital sex and forced parenthood in the U.S.
And which is why we met today with experts, activists, survivors and other allies to share our preliminary study findings from our case study of New York City’s Orthodox Jewish community and seek their input.
Our founder/executive director Fraidy Reiss kicked off the launch event and explained MOVE’s impact and intentions:
“Forced marriage is not a small problem. Little research has been done on forced marriage in the U.S., so the full extent of it remains unknown – but we’re changing that. One of the most effective strategies we at Unchained use to achieve social, policy and legal reform is to conduct groundbreaking research and use the findings to educate and build support among policymakers, faith leaders, service providers, judges, law enforcement personnel, parents and the general public. MOVE is arming grassroots activists inside the community with the data they need to effect change, as it also aims to launch a national conversation about marital, sexual and reproductive self-determination in all American communities.”
Learn more about MOVE and our work to end forced marriage here and see photos and videos from our launch event below.
MOVE is made possible by generous support from New York Community Trust, Valentine Perry Snyder Fund and other donors.
