Why Does The Us Have So Many Child Brides?

[mikey4444]

Found this on the 'net earlier this morning, and I must say I was shocked. You would expect this to happen in third world countries but not in America.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-us-canada-41727495/why-does-the-us-have-so-many-child-brides

[ummmm]

Different states, different laws.

[mikey4444]

Ummm...if you look at the link I have provided, one young girl was married at age 11 !

Most American states have laws on Statuary Rape, but it seems that if the girl is then married off, everything is OK.

I think its disgraceful in a modern 1st world country don't you ?

[ummmm]

I did read the link.

What can be done but to change the law for all states and introduce local bylaws. It's a big country though.

[mikey4444]

I am just completely amazed that the situation still exists, especially in regards the Statuary Rape situation.

[douglas9401]

Statutory.

[mikey4444]

Thanks dougie....it didn't look right somehow, but my spellchecker didn't object !

[EDDIE51]

Never heard of this until now . I thought the minimum age was 14 in some states but never that there is no minimum age.

[albaqwerty]

saw interview with Angelique Kodji this morning on Hardtalk, she was talking about child brides in Africa.
If a 45 years old man, marries a 10 year old child and 'they' call it tradition, she said 'I call it paedophilia'
Yep, and it happens in the US too.

[naomi24]

This gives a list of states and their laws on marriage.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_marriage_in_the_United_States

According to that half of US states do not have a minimum legal age for marriage, although special arrangements and circumstances apply to some. I'm amazed!

[Gromit]

It doesn’t.
Annually there are 13,000 out of a population of 325,000,000. So it is a relatively small number.
The chief reason is religion. 18 is the minimum age in ALL states, but exemptions, usually for religious reasons.

[mikey4444]

Gromit....read the link above at 09:00.

"Most states allow parties aged 16 and 17 to marry with parental consent alone. In most states, children under 16 can be married too. In the 25 states [1] which have an absolute minimum age set by statute, this age varies between 13 and 17, while in 25 states there is no statutory minimum age if other legal conditions are met"

But even if there were "religious" reasons, allowing girls to be raped at the age of 13, and sometime as young as 10, is completely unacceptable.

In backward, third-world countries it might be understood, although not excused.

America has no excuse whatsoever.

[-Talbot-]

''I think its disgraceful in a modern 1st world country don't you ?''



I think its disgraceful in modern 1st world countries and disgraceful in 3rd world countries.

[-Talbot-]

''In backward, third-world countries it might be understood''


Expand on that if you can.

[mikey4444]

Talbot....I am tempted to say that its because the population of those countries are largely uneducated, illiterate, and ruled by their interpretation of their religious beliefs......but I am sure you knew that anyway.