Child Marriages, also known as Arranged Marriages. A well-documented film on child marriages in the United States includes both ‘Knots: A Forced Marriage Story’ and ‘I Was a Child Bride: The Untold Story’. Child brides are 31% more likely to live in poverty, 3 times more likely to be beaten, and assume there is no way out. In China, refugee girls escaping North Korea are sold as child brides.  

At the “federal level, the government has set 18 as a minimum age of marriage” (Brewer, 2010). Yet, most states have an exception age law, allowing family members (mainly fathers) to force girls (female minors) into a marriage against their will (nonconsent). Being under 18 years of age (a minor), these girls have “no legal avenue to prevent the marriage or get out of a marriage they were forced into” (Brewer, 2010) until they turn 18, which they have already been subject to abuse, sexual assault, or other. Twenty-seven states have no age laws. A marriage license is a get-out-of-jail card for criminals of statutory rape. Most abuse shelters will not accept a woman under 18 and turn these child brides away; therefore, many of these girls will commit suicide as their only recourse (Nicholas, 2019). Child marriage is a way to protect men [husband] from rape charges, avoid Child Protective Services from investigating, and their [girls] parents avoid child neglect charges (Nicholas, 2019).

Child marriage, child brides, mail order brides, and arranged marriages are all facets of Human Trafficking. Child marriage is a marriage where both parties are under 18. A child bride is a female who is under 18. Mail-order brides are females (mostly) who are purchased online. Arranged marriages are marriages arranged by families (usually parents,. fathers) (Meshelemiah, 2010, p.1). Child marriages, also known as child brides, are prevalent throughout the world, including the United States, and are influenced by “cross-cultural, regional, and religious” aspirations (Meshelemiah, 2010, p. 1). Child marriage/brides are linked to pornography via videos promoting underage girls with older men. Promoting sexual relations or events with females under 18 [minors].

These females face the risk of sexual violence, sexual assaults, physical abuse, HIV, and pregnancy complications (Meshelemiah, 2010, p.1). Their age, they have little to no opinion on family planning, yet are required to provide fertility. These females (usually between 15 and 25 in age) are forced into submission and forced to be “sexually available, not only to their husbands, but to any males” within their families (Meshelemiah, 2010, p.1).