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Original poster

I don't understand why America still allows child marriage.

36 replies

FermatsTheorem · 04/06/2018 19:40

www.nytimes.com/2017/05/26/opinion/sunday/it-was-forced-on-me-child-marriage-in-the-us.html

11 year old taken out of elementary school (i.e. primary) and forced to marry her rapist.

Angry
OP posts:
BlackeyedSusan · 05/06/2018 00:04

omg.

that is horrendous.

LassWiADelicateAir · 04/06/2018 23:50

I did a bit of googling on a previous occasion this was discussed to see , what if anything, the Obama administration did.

The answer was nothing other than a bit of huffing and puffing about how awful it is when it happens in other countries.

Original poster
FermatsTheorem · 04/06/2018 23:04

Yes, Upstart - I mentioned it on an AIBU thread once, and someone flat out told me I must be lying (I took a certain satisfaction from posting links to the Washington Post, New York Times, Independent and BBC to show them I wasn't).

But as that article shows, it's far from "not many", it's thousands. Thousands in the richest, most technologically advanced nation on earth. What the fuck is wrong with their legal and political system that they can't sort this out? (I think I know the answer - the religious right would sooner force children to marry their rapists than imprison rapists, supply contraception and provide abortion to rape victims.)

OP posts:
UpstartCrow · 04/06/2018 22:44

I keep hearing people minimising this - (its not that many) - or denying it happens at all - (its not Western men doing this.)

SarahCarer · 04/06/2018 22:17

I think these stories are so shocking many of us in the UK find them hard to believe. It seems almost incomprehensible in a country with a culture that otherwise has so many similarities to ours.

Original poster
FermatsTheorem · 04/06/2018 21:33

Those are interesting articles, Quarks. I'd be fascinated to read about the historical background to why the law in the US is so hard to change, if you can dig it out. I'd always assumed it was yet another of those bonkers issues where the government couldn't act at a country-wide level because of states' rights, but it sounds like there might be more to it.

And yes, Persifleur, it is indeed legalised rape. Exactly that. (In fact the NYT article explains that in the case of the 11 year old, it was because her rapist was a church elder who was facing statutory rape charges - her parents and the minister forced her to marry to get the guy off the hook).

OP posts:
Persifleur · 04/06/2018 21:11

Moreover, in the example cited it's hardly consensual. It's legalised rape.

Persifleur · 04/06/2018 21:09

Melanippe, which country are you in?
Child marriage boils my piss tbh and I'm astounded anyone in the US can begin to defend it.

Melanippe · 04/06/2018 20:45

Each year of school missed out on is thought to reduce IQ by around 10 points. So quite apart from the physical problems that early child bearing has on young bodies, it also affects their ability to help their children to do well (because IQ is generally passed on via the mother)

In this country, we just have a high teenage pregnancy rate and it's not teenage boys who are impregnating them, it's much older men.

QuarksandLeptons · 04/06/2018 20:19

Heard recently that the international, economic implications of child marriage result in the loss of billions of pounds every year

“According to the International Center for Research on Women and the World Bank, ending the practice of child marriage would save billions of dollars in annual welfare expenditures, resulting in global savings of more than $4 trillion by 2030. Simply put, the world cannot afford to allow child marriage to continue”

www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2018/06/03/commentary/world-commentary/totaling-terrible-cost-child-marriage/

QuarksandLeptons · 04/06/2018 20:14

It’s ghastly. It seems to only ever be female children and adult men, never the other way around. It’s both child abuse & misogyny.

There’s another article by the same journalist this week:

mobile.nytimes.com/2018/06/01/opinion/sunday/child-marriage-delaware.html

From memory, (I’ll try to dig it up later) there were two politicians in the 50s who were pro child marriage and they managed to introduce a law or an amendment to a law which was designed to make any future changes to said law very complicated and difficult

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