Children today have it tough, between grades, drugs, alcohol—and apparently, the threat of child marriage. This isn’t hyperbole. To this day in 2025, thousands of children are forced into child marriage in the United States—and Republicans seem to want to keep it that way. With several thousand documented child marriages every single year—some involving as children as young as 10—we need need legislative solutions and penalties for those who exploit children. But where do we begin?
Let’s Address This.
How Widespread Is Child Marriage in America?
Despite widespread condemnation and international treaties against it, child marriage continues in the United States unabated. As reported in numerous outlets including the Washington Post and The Independent:
At least 207,468 minors married in the US between 2000 and 2015, according to data compiled by Unchained At Last, a group campaigning to abolish child marriage, and investigative documentary series Frontline. The true figure is likely to be much higher because 10 states provided no or incomplete statistics.
The youngest wedded were three 10-year-old girls in Tennessee who married men aged 24, 25 and 31 in 2001. The youngest groom was an 11-year-old who married a 27-year-old woman in the same state in 2006. Children as young as 12 were granted marriage licences in Alaska, Louisiana and South Carolina, while 11 other states allowed 13-year-olds to wed. More than 1,000 children aged 14 or under were granted marriage licences.
And the problem persists. Unchained At Last conducted another study in 2021 and found more than 300,000 documented cases of child marriage, as reported by Rolling Stone:
A 2021 study by the advocacy group Unchained at Last found that 300,000 minors were married between 2000 and 2018 in the United States. According to the group, 60,000 of those marriages involved an age difference that would have otherwise been considered a sex crime.
Remember, this is yet incomplete data as 10 states do not adequately report this data. But there’s yet another element of horror to this situation. In many states, children who are married cannot divorce—making child marriage a daunting one way ticket. As divorce lawyer Nancy Zalusky Berg explains:
A minor can’t file for a divorce because they’re not considered old enough to do it. That’s because marriage is considered a contract, and most laws stipulate that only adults can enter into contracts. So, if a minor wants to change their marriage contract, they need an adult to help them do it.
Hellbound and Down 