Just a reminder | Child marriage banned in one of the US states
The US state of Massachusetts today, Sunday, passed a law banning early child marriage, which had previously been allowed, through a vote in its Senate.
The human rights organisation “Human Rights Watch” reported on its website the event, which was attended by rights advocates, volunteers from the United Nations Children's Fund, “UNICEF”, and supporters of an association concerned with children's rights.
Joy and delight filled the legislature after the law was accepted and passed by the state Senate.
For its part, “Human Rights Watch” pointed out that 1,200 children were married in the state of Massachusetts between 2000 and 2016, and that most of these marriages joined underage girls with adult men.
It explained that these marriages expose underage girls to the risk of harm to their health and hinder their access to education, in addition to the problems of poverty and domestic violence.
Local law in 48 US states allows “child marriage” under certain circumstances. The law in Massachusetts, for example, allowed the marriage of children under the age of 18 with parental consent and judicial approval.
The new law in the US state bans marriage under the age of 18 and accepts no exceptions whatsoever.
