Survivors of child marriage and forced marriage speak out
Three women who survived child marriage and forced marriage speak out about what happened to them, in this video by Iris. Sara was forced into marriage at 15, Naila at 13 and Fraidy at 19.
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Child marriage in the United States
Marriage under 18 is legal in all 50 US states. In 25 states, there is no minimum age at which children can marry.
Forced marriage can happen at any age. Manipulation, pressure from the community, coercion, blackmail, threats and physical abuse are all ways in which a person can be forced into marriage.
According to data collected by Unchained At Last, nearly 250,000 US children under 18 married between 2000 and 2015.
Recently, the Florida Legislature passed a bill banning marriage for anyone under 17. A woman who was forced to marry her rapist when she was 11 worked for six years to help end child marriage in Florida.
Unchained At Last
Fraidy Reiss is the founder and executive director of Unchained At Last. This non-profit organisation helps women and girls leave or avoid forced marriages and rebuild their lives. It works for social, policy and legal change to end forced marriage and child marriage in America.