Frontline dispatch child marriage in america

It may have also been the most preventable. What prompted the U. Department of Justice to investigate over unsolved civil rights era killings? And what does justice look like for the families of the victims? Secrets, lies and lasting consequences. Children as young as 12 were granted marriage licenses in Alaska , Louisiana and South Carolina.

Most states set the age of sexual consent between 16 and A person can be charged with sexual abuse or statutory rape for having sex with a minor. Yet, we found numerous examples of children who were given marriage licenses before they could legally consent to sex. These marriages were almost always approved by court clerks and judges. While some minors married other minors, these cases were less common.

Most married adults who were 18, 19 or in their early 20s. In , a year-old girl married a year-old man in Idaho. One of the oldest people to marry a child was a year-old in Alabama. His bride was The state later raised its minimum marriage age to Source: Tahirih Justice Center. People can get married on their own once they reach the age of adulthood, which is 18 in almost every state.

But almost every state allows minors to get married at younger ages in some situations. In Oregon , Nebraska and New York , minors have to be at least 17 years old to get married. Other states draw a line at 14, 15 or In New Hampshire , a law that has been on the books since allows girls as young as 13 and boys as young as 14 to marry. In Massachusetts , girls can legally marry at 12, while boys can at Children in those states can get married at any age if certain conditions are met.

Twelve states require all minors to petition a judge for a marriage license, according to a forthcoming Tahirih report. In most states, only children under 16 have to make their case before a judge. When a pregnancy is involved, parental consent is not always necessary. We calculated the rate of child marriage in the U. The numbers show that marriages involving minors occurred most often in states like Idaho , Kentucky and West Virginia , which have large rural populations.

Minors are most likely to get married in places that are rural and poor, according to Nicholas Syrett, who combed through historical marriage records while researching his book, American Child Bride: A History of Minors and Marriage in the United States. Explore our database to learn how many children married in each state. Click on the cards to see the laws that allowed them to marry.

The total number of minors married in Tennessee during that time has been updated from 8, to 8, The total number of minors married across the country has also been revised to , Has child marriage affected you? Share Your Story. Between and , at least , Note: Total includes data from 41 states and three counties. Fewer Minors Are Getting Married 23, married in Note: , total minors, 38 states and two counties, — Heather said he slept in on most days and filled his time with video games.

She got a minimum wage job serving burgers and milkshakes at a local chain restaurant. When she returned home, she cooked for Aaron and did his laundry. Women who married as minors were more likely to experience mental health issues, such as clinical depression, compared to those who married later in life, according to a study by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

While Heather was determined to stay with Aaron, Lynnette wanted her daughter out of the marriage. By December , Heather and Aaron were no longer husband and wife. A temporary restraining order, requested by Lynette, kept them apart. Aaron soon pled guilty to statutory rape. He admitted that he knew Heather was 14 when they had sex. Aaron apologized to Heather and to his family members.

He said that his time behind bars gave him a chance to grow closer to God and that he was interested in studying to become a minister. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison with an option for parole after three years. He will be required to undergo sex offender and substance abuse treatment. If Aaron serves the full sentence, he will be 40 years old when he is released from the Idaho State Correctional Institute in Boise.

Once he is released, he will be on the sex offender registry for at least 10 years, and potentially, the rest of his life. Keith pleaded guilty to one charge: injury to a child.

Frontline dispatch child marriage in america

He spoke about his regret during his sentencing. Judge Greg Moeller berated Keith for failing to protect his daughter. Keith was sentenced to four months, or days, in jail. News of the verdict spread online. Tabloid headlines portrayed Keith as a father who forced his daughter to marry a rapist. Jean Evans, a realtor turned state legislator in Missouri, was shocked to learn about the story.

Some legislators balked at the idea of preventing young teens from marrying under special circumstances such as a pregnancy. The bill, however, failed to pass. In other states, advocates continue to fight to set the minimum marriage age at 18, with no exceptions. They argue that because of their legal status as children, it is extremely difficult for minors to get help or leave an abusive relationship.

In some states, minors cannot access a domestic violence shelter, apply for a protective order or petition for a divorce without the help of an adult. Advocates have run into resistance from lawmakers and groups on both sides of the political spectrum who have voiced reluctance to completely banning marriage for all minors. Some minors, they say, should be allowed to marry under certain circumstances.

So far, advocates have struck a few compromises in statehouses across the country. This year, New York raised its minimum marriage age from 14 to 17, Connecticut banned marriage before 16 and Texas passed a law that will only allow 16 and 17 year olds who are already emancipated — or given the legal rights of an adult — to marry. David Bates, a Republican legislator in New Hampshire, vocally opposed a bill in his home state that would have raised the marriage age to Bates worried that soldiers, who may join the military at 17, might be prevented from marrying their partners before being deployed.

A ban would also lead to more single-parent households, he argued. In some states, like California, opposition has come from civil liberty groups and lawyers who work with foster youth. She would be a year-and-a-half by now. Heather moved to a suburb outside of Salt Lake City to live with her mom. She keeps in touch with Keith, who is out of jail.

They see each other around once a month. She worked at Subway for a while. The double shifts became exhausting so she quit. A few months later, she started a new job at Chick-fil-A. She said she dreams of becoming a preschool teacher and plans to get her GED someday. In some ways, Heather is like a regular year-old. Heather often thinks back to the summer she met Aaron.

Looking back, she said, 14 seems incredibly young to be considering marriage. Correction: Due to errors in data provided to FRONTLINE by the Tennessee Department of Health, an earlier version of this story incorrectly included Tennessee among a list of states in which children as young as 10, 11 and 12 were given marriage licenses. Journalistic Standards.

You'll receive access to exclusive information and early alerts about our documentaries and investigations. I'm already subscribed. September 14, Her boyfriend Aaron was At the time, marriage seemed like it could be a solution to their problems — and maybe a way to keep Aaron out of jail. For more on child marriage in America — visit pbs.

According to the department, children as young as 10, 11 and 12 were not given marriage licenses in their state. Player FM is scanning the web for high-quality podcasts for you to enjoy right now. It's the best podcast app and works on Android, iPhone, and the web. Signup to sync subscriptions across devices. Review our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service to learn more.

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