A child marriage is any marriage in which at least one spouse is under the age of 18. The marriage age is determined by each state, territory, and federal district in the United States. After accounting for all exemptions, there is not a statutory minimum age in eight states as of July 2022. These states are Wyoming, Michigan, New Mexico, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and California.

Child marriage has historically been a socially accepted practice; however, it is now widely seen as a form of child sexual abuse. Some international organizations, like the U.S.A. State Department, have deemed it a violation of human rights. According to research, there are harms associated to child marriages, including sexual assault, a decline in education, early pregnancies, and psychological stress for the children involved. This is grooming and is a traumatizing experience to the child.

Between 2000 and 2018, nearly 300,000 minors were legally married in the U.S.A. These child marriages typically include a young girl and an older man in the U.S.A. In many circumstances, adolescents in the U.S.A. can get married before they reach the state-specific age of sexual consent, which currently ranges from 16 to 18. Domestic abuse shelters often do not accept minors, and in some areas, minors cannot legally divorce or separate from their spouse.

Seven states, including New Jersey (2018), Delaware (2018), Pennsylvania (2020), Minnesota (2020), Rhode Island (2021), New York (2021), and Massachusetts, have outright outlawed underage marriage as of July 2022. (2022). During this time, child marriage has also been abolished in the US territories of American Samoa and the US Virgin Islands. Similar legislation is being considered in a number of other American states.

This form of predatory, pedaohilic behavior will no longer be legal or tolerated by the Sherman Administration. This policy will be enforced federally and will not be allowed in any state. There will not be any exceptions for religious practices and any violator will be held accountable per the guidelines of the community they reside in. Please note, this is considered abuse and this action will be held to our standard of justice. The barriers currently in place for minors to divorce or leave their abuser will be removed. Going forward, if you aren’t eligible to vote or serve your country; you aren’t able to get married.