New Hampshire’s child marriage ban went into effect on Wednesday, making it the 13th state to require people to be 18 years old to get married.
Why It Matters
Child marriage remains legal in most states, many of which allow children as young as 15 or 16 years old to get married. A handful of states have no age requirements at all for marriage. About 300,000 children have gotten married since 2000, according to Unchained at Last, an organization that fights for laws banning child marriage.
Advocates to end child marriage say that married minors are left vulnerable on multiple fronts. They face unique challenges in breaking out of poverty, are left vulnerable to physical and emotional abuse, and may struggle to gain access to the systems intended to protect abuse victims.