Forced Marriage in the United States
I dedicate this website to the survivors who courageously shared their stories to offer hope and to educate others.
I use mages of trees to represent the powerful transformation forced marriage survivors experience in their healing journeys: rooted in family values, branching out toward self-determination.
Forced and child marriage are internationally recognized as serious human rights violations.
Millions of women and girls around the world are subjected to forced marriage and they live with the physical and psychological consequences. Potentially thousands of women and girls each year may be forced into marriages in the United States which is alarming and requires immediate attention.
When an individual feels they have no real choice to marry, they have suffered a loss of power and control over their own life.
In addition, loopholes exist in state laws which allow for children under the age of 18 to be married. Child marriage is currently legal in 43 states except for Delaware, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts) which have set the minimum age of marriage at 18 with no exceptions.
Unfortunately, there is not enough research on the issue of forced marriage in the United States resulting in inadequate support, protections, and resources for survivors and those at-risk.
This websites hopes to shed light on the complex issue of forced marriage in the United States and uplift survivor voices.
Stories from Survivors
Hear from survivors who have left forced marriages and the unique challenges they faced to find the courage and strength to make a decision that was discouraged by their families and communities. All survivor voices have been altered to protect confidentiality.
U.S. Statistics
An online survey of 7,791 people suggested that 11% experienced forced marriage in the United States.
Of the 11%:
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7% of respondents were in a forced marriage
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3% of respondents had faced or experienced a forced marriage but were no longer married to the person
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1% of respondents reported being threatened with a forced marriage