Jane Godiner is a current sophomore at Bowdoin College in Maine. She is majoring in English and Psychology and concentrating in Creative Writing. She is also the Arts and Entertainment Editor for The Bowdoin Orient, Bowdoin’s newspaper. She believes in the informative and inspirational power of journalism and writes with the purpose of encouraging her readers to be instigators of change in their daily lives. She hopes to make a difference in her surrounding communities, to live as ethically as possible and to encourage others to do the same.
The child marriage crisis is proximate and dire: from 2000 to 2015 alone, over 200,000 children were married in the United States. The federal government does not regulate child marriage laws, and there are currently 46 states where child marriage is legal. 20 of those states do not have a minimum marriage age, so long as there is a parental or judicial waiver. In 16 states, the minimum marriage age is ignored in the case of pregnancy or the birth of a child.
While some of these marriages are between two people under the age of eighteen, the vast majority—over 80 percent—are between one child and one adult. These marriages, in particular, have extreme consequences for the child spouse: girls who marry before the age of eighteen are 50 percent more likely to abandon their education, twice as likely to live in poverty and three times as likely to to experience domestic violence.
Because individuals under 18 do not have the same rights as adults, the legal options for child spouses are limited. They cannot file for divorce, and because some states classify it a criminal offense for a minor to run away from home, child spouses can face charges for attempting to flee. The federal government classifies statutory rape as a crime; however, charges of statuatory rape can be entirely dropped if there is evidence that the two parties were married at the time of the sexual act. In many cases, children are groomed, coerced and forced into marriages in order to protect their adult rapists from criminal charges.
There have historically been few efforts by state governments to dismantle these marriages; and, more frighteningly, some state lawmakers have taken measures to protect them. In 2019, Idaho, which has the highest rate of child marriages in the United States, failed to pass a bill that would have raised the marriage age to the age of consent in the state. Idaho Representatives cited preserving “the sanctity of the family” as a reason against passing the bill. While fears of government overreach have prevented other states from passing similar, life-saving legislation, these state governments should be far more fearful of the resulting destruction from these marriages and of the endangerment of their survivors.
Meet the Artist: Adrian Glasmyre is a double major in Digital Communications and Art at Lebanon Valley College. Since her freshman year, Adrian has been passionate about using her art to raise awareness on fast fashion and human rights. She is proud to create graphics that educate others on these important issues.
[…] sense to leave or runaway, even file for divorce. Unfortunately, any legal options for a minor is limited. The child of the marriage isn't allowed to try to file for divorce, nor can they run away due to […]