India has strict laws against child marriage. Many organizations in India are also working to stop child marriage. But do you know that a developed country like America is troubled by the problem of child marriage? Yes, in many states of America, children as young as 10 years of age are married off. Know the reason behind this.
Child marriage in India
Let us tell you that child marriage is prohibited in India. According to the Prohibition Act, 2006 of Indian law, the age of a girl should be 18 years and the age of a boy should be 21 years for marriage. If a boy and a girl are married at an age less than this, then there is a provision of punishment for this in the law. There is a law in India to stop child marriage since before independence.
America
America, one of the most developed countries in the world, is facing the problem of child marriage. There, the Unchained at Last NGO works to stop child marriage. According to their research, from 2000 to 2018, more than 3 lakh children in the USA were married under the age of 18. According to the NGO, till 2017, child marriage was legal in all 50 US states. But the situation is gradually changing. In 2018, Delaware and New Jersey became the first states to make child marriage illegal to protect the rights of children.
Child marriage legal in many US states
Child marriage is a human rights violation that deprives girls of their freedom. According to UNICEF, the prevalence of child marriage among boys worldwide is only one-sixth that of girls. Even today, child marriage is legal in 37 of the 50 states in the US.
While American Samoa has banned the practice of child marriage in 2018, US Virgin Islands, Pennsylvania and Minnesota in 2020, Rhode Island and New York in 2021, Massachusetts in 2022, Vermont, Connecticut and Michigan in 2023, and Washington, Virginia and New Hampshire in 2024."text-align: justify;">Why is child marriage not illegal in America?
Despite the widespread incidence of child marriage in America, no major legal steps have been taken. One reason for the growth of child marriage is that the minimum age for marriage has been set by different states. In many states of America, it is 18 years, while in dozens of states there is no minimum age. In these states, marriage can be done at a young age if parents’ consent or judicial approval is obtained. Not only this, children are usually not allowed to initiate legal proceedings. Only through their guardian or other representative can they take any legal decision, which includes rules like divorce.
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