child marriage

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Virginia Looks to Ban Child Marriage

A bill to end exemption that allows minors to marry was sent to state's governor

(Newser) - Virginia is set to ban marriage before age 18 after legislators sent a bill to Gov. Glenn Youngkin's desk, NPR reports, which would make it the 12th state with laws on the books that prohibit the marriage of minors with no exceptions. The bill knocks out loopholes that allowed...

At This Rate, Child Marriage Will Continue for Centuries: UN

Progress is being made, but not fast enough, according to new report

(Newser) - The world isn't moving fast enough to combat child marriage as, at current rates, it will be another 300 years before the practice is eliminated. That's according to a UN report , which finds 12 million girls are married as minors each year. The report does highlight progress made...

Lawmaker Defends Child Marriage With Story of 12-Year-Olds

Missouri state Sen. Mike Moon cites preteen wedding after being attacked for his anti-trans bill

(Newser) - Missouri State Sen. Mike Moon says his aim in sponsoring a bill to ban gender-affirming care for minors is to protect children—which a colleague attacked him for based on Moon's vote against a 2018 bill that put restrictions on child marriage. "You voted 'no' on making...

West Virginia No Longer Allows 15-Year-Olds to Marry

New law still permits underage marriage if parents consent

(Newser) - West Virginia will no longer allow children under 16 to marry, after the governor signed a compromise bill Wednesday. The law signed by Republican Gov. Jim Justice continues allowing children ages 16 and 17 to get married with restrictions. Under the new law, the AP reports, those minors must obtain...

The Wedding May Save a Family. But the Bride Is 8

Experts warn of child marriage, for some an alternative to starvation, amid catastrophe

(Newser) - Nyekuoth Manyuan dreamed of becoming a doctor. Instead, at 14, she was taken from her village of Kueryiek in South Sudan and wed to a 25-year-old man in exchange for 60 cattle. "I know I'm young," Nyekuoth told CBS News foreign correspondent Debora Patta. "But the...

Concerns About Child Brides Well-Known. But Child Grooms?
Often-Overlooked Global
Problem: Child Grooms
longform
Jan 6, 2022 7:15 PM CST

Often-Overlooked Global Problem: Child Grooms

NPR takes a look at the issue, particularly in Nepal

(Newser) - The issue of child brides has long been a topic of concern around the world. But as NPR reports, there's an often-overlooked corollary: child grooms. The UN defines a child marriage as one with a participant under the age of 18, and the issue does indeed affect girls more...

Cuomo Signs Law Ending Child Marriage in New York

Activists say Nalia's Law will protect children from statutory rape, forced marriage

(Newser) - Children can't get married in New York. That might not sound groundbreaking, but the law recently signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo raising the age of consent to 18 is rare in the US; only six states prohibit child marriage. Delaware, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island also don’...

Outrage in Somalia Over Possible Child Marriage Move

Parliament considering a bill that would allow it

(Newser) - An outcry is rising in Somalia as parliament considers a bill that would allow child marriage once a girl’s sexual organs mature and would allow forced marriage as long as the family gives their consent. Somalia in 2013 agreed with the UN to improve its sexual violence laws, and...

Kmart Apologizes for Child 'Bride Costume'
Kmart Pulls
Costume
From Shelves
Oct 26, 2019 3:45 PM CDT

Kmart Pulls Costume From Shelves

Chain apologizes after petition over child bride costume tops 500 signatures

(Newser) - Attention, Kmart shoppers: The child "Bride Costume" will no longer be available in Australia after a petition accused the store of supporting child marriage, People reports. "Tell Kmart this is beyond inappropriate and offensive and that they have a social responsibility to pull this item off their shelves...

US Approved 5,000 Child Bride Requests in Past Decade

Critics say it may fuel forced marriages

(Newser) - Thousands of requests by men to bring in child and adolescent brides to live in the US were approved over the past decade, according to government data obtained by The AP . In one case, a 49-year-old man applied for admission for a 15-year-old girl. The approvals are legal. In weighing...

Huge Dowry, Huge Uproar for Underage Bride

Man in South Sudan hands over 500 cows, plus cash and car for 17-year-old

(Newser) - Five hundred cows, two luxury cars, $10,000, two bikes, a boat, and a few cell phones made up the final price in a heated bidding war for a teenage bride in South Sudan that went viral after the auction was pointed out on Facebook. The government says it's...

She's 16 and Married. Here's What That Looks Like
She's 16 and Married.
Here's What That Looks Like
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Oct 14, 2018 6:33 AM CDT

She's 16 and Married. Here's What That Looks Like

Terrence McCoy looks at one instance of child marriage for the 'Washington Post'

(Newser) - Tacked to Maria and Phil Manning's fridge is a budget detailing how the $1,600 they pull in a month is allocated. The hope—unfulfilled time and time again—is to save $450 of that, so they can move out of their trailer in Everett, Pa., and head to...

Missouri Bans Controversial Practice, Sets Minimum Age for Marriage

15-year-olds can no longer wed in the state

(Newser) - Fifteen-year-olds can no longer get married in Missouri. The state had long been the most lenient in the US when it came to child marriage: About half the states have no minimum age requirement for marriage, but Missouri was the only state in which just one parent's signature—and...

US One of 10 Most Dangerous Countries for Women

India is No. 1

(Newser) - A new Thompson Reuters Foundation survey names the 10 countries deemed to be the least safe for women, and the Washington Post focuses on the nation that claims the title of most dangerous. "India has shown utter disregard and disrespect for women … rape, marital rapes, sexual assault and...

'Hugely Welcome News' for Teen Who Killed Rapist Husband

Sudan's Noura Hussein has death sentence overturned, gets 5 years in prison instead

(Newser) - The #JusticeforNoura hashtag and a Change.org petition didn't free an African teen from prison, but it may have helped save her life. The BBC reports an appeals court in Sudan has nixed the death sentence for 19-year-old Noura Hussein, who was sentenced by an Islamic court in May...

Ohio Lets Kids Marry Too Young, Critics Say

Girls younger than 16 can wed if pregnant and have parents', court's permission

(Newser) - Ohio's marriage laws allowing underage teens to marry are too liberal and create potential for exploiting young girls, says an advocate for an organization that has called for ending child marriage, per the AP . Ohio requires teen girls to be at least 16 and males to be at least...

In Turkey, Proposed Law Gives Child Rapists an Out

Would pardon men who marry victims

(Newser) - Thousands of people took to the streets in cities across Turkey over the weekend to protest what they described as a law that allows child rape. The proposed law pardons men convicted of statutory rape if there was no "force, threat, or any other restriction on consent" and they...

Afghan Mullah Arrested for Marrying 6-Year-Old

Sayed Mohammad Karim says girl was 'gift' from her parents; they say she was kidnapped

(Newser) - A case in Afghanistan has pitted a religious figure against the outraged parents of a 6-year-old girl, underscoring the ongoing problems surrounding child marriages there. Per Radio Free Europe , Sayed Mohammad Karim, a mullah in the Ghor province said to be in his 50s, was arrested last week and charged...

Virginia Looks to Bar 12-Year-Olds From Marrying

If law passes, kids under 16 can no longer wed, even if pregnant and with parents' OK

(Newser) - Although laws in Virginia state the minimum age to wed is 16, the fine print reveals a more disturbing picture: Much younger kids may be able to marry with parental permission and if the girl is pregnant, leading to extreme cases in which youngsters not even in their teens have...

Yemen Official: Time to End Child Marriages

Questions remain over case of girl who reportedly died

(Newser) - Local officials continue to insist the story of an 8-year-old child bride in Yemen who died of internal injuries on her wedding night is not true—but even so, outrage over the incident continues to grow, and now Yemen's human rights minister says the country must put a stop...

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