00:00HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN ARE BEING MARRIED IN THE UNITED STATES
00:04AND SOME OF THESE CHILDREN WERE AS YOUNG AS TEN
00:07UNTIL THIS WEEK, CALIFORNIA LAWS HAD NO MINIMUM AGE FOR MARRIAGE
00:11NOW THAT'S ABOUT TO CHANGE
00:13PEOPLE ARE SHOCKED TO KNOW THAT CHILD MARRIAGE, WHICH IS A PROBLEM AROUND THE WORLD
00:17ALSO IS A PROBLEM IN THE UNITED STATES
00:19CALIFORNIA HAS BECOME THE 18TH STATE TO BAN MARRIAGE UNDER 18
00:22BUT ACROSS THE U.S. CHILD MARRIAGE REMAINS LEGAL IN 32 OTHER STATES
00:26AGED MARRIAGE IS SET FOR BETTER OR WORSE AT THE STATE LEVEL
00:30SO IT'S NOT LIKE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT CAN JUST PASS A LAW AS OTHER COUNTRIES HAVE DONE
00:35TO SAY NO MORE MARRIAGE BEFORE THE AGE OF 18
00:38HERE IN THE U.S. WE NEED TO GO STATE BY STATE
00:41FREDDIE REESE IS THE FOUNDER OF UNCHANED AT LAST
00:43A NONPROFIT LEADING THE FIGHT TO END CHILD AND FORCE MARRIAGE ACROSS THE UNITED STATES
00:48WE AT UNCHANED AT LAST HAVE COLLECTED MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE DATA FROM ACROSS THE UNITED STATES
00:55THIS WAS NEVER DONE BEFORE NOBODY HAD ANY SENSE
00:58OF HOW OFTEN CHILD MARRIAGE WAS HAPPENING IN THE UNITED STATES AND WE CHANGED THAT
01:02BETWEEN 2000 AND 2021 THERE WERE ABOUT 315,000 MINORS ENTERED INTO MARRIAGE HERE IN THE UNITED STATES
01:12CHILD MARRIAGE IS OFTEN SEEN AS A PROBLEM ELSEWHERE
01:14BUT UNTIL 2018 IT WAS LEGAL IN EVERY U.S. STATE
01:18I THINK ANOTHER THING THAT LEGISLATORS DO NOT REALIZE IN THE STATES THAT HAVE NOT YET
01:22BEEN CHILD MARRIAGE IS THAT THEY'RE IMAGINING THESE SCENARIOS WHERE THERE'S A GIRL
01:28WHO'S IN LOVE AND MAYBE SHE'S PREGNANT AND SHE WANTS TO GET MARRIED
01:32RESEARCHERS FOUND THAT AT LEAST ONE IN FIVE CHILD MARRIAGES INVOLVED AGE GAPS OR CIRCUMSTANCES
01:37THAT MIGHT OTHERWISE HAVE BEEN PROSECUTED UNDER U.S. STATUTORY RAPE LAWS
01:41THE OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF MINORS WHO MARRIED WERE GIRLS
01:44MOST OFTEN MARRIING ADULT MEN WHEN SOMEONE IS FORCED TO MARRY
01:48THEIR OWN PARENT ALMOST ALWAYS PLAYS A CRUCIAL ROLE IN FACILITATING IT
01:53PARENTAL CONSENT OFTEN IS PARENTAL COERTION
01:56CALIFORNIA'S NEW LAW TAKES EFFECT IN JANUARY 2027
01:59BUT DESPITE GROWING MOMENTUM CHILD MARRIAGE REMAINS LEGAL ACROSS MOST OF THE U.S.
