Forced and child marriage are significant, yet hidden, problems in the United States that impact individuals from every socio-economic status, ethnic and religious background. While there is growing recognition that these forms of abuse are present in the U.S., many survivors and individuals at risk of all ages still struggle to receive the support and services they need to get safe and rebuild their lives on their own terms.

In this webinar FMI staff cover the nature of forced marriage, the connection between forced marriage and other forms of abuse, such as domestic violence and child abuse, and the unique challenges of providing support and safety-planning in these cases.

Hellitz Villegas, FMI Project Manager
Briana Roberts, FMI Project Associate
Casey Carter Swegman, Director of Public Policy

For more information on how forced marriage intersects with other forms of abuse, read our report: The Intersectionality of Forced Marriage and Other Forms of Abuse in the United States.
For comprehensive guidance for service providers who may encounter individuals facing forced marriage, read our A Framework for Identifying and Responding to Cases of Forced Marriage.

Sidonia Cannon, the Forced Marriage Initiative’s 2023 Intern, interviewed Audace Garnett, Safety Net Technology Safety Project Manager at the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV).

This one-pager, updated on April 10, 2024, examines the reasons it is important for Washington DC to take action and end child marriage in the District.

Author: Human Rights Watch

Published: September 2022

A new interactive scorecard from Human Rights Watch assessed state laws across the country to see how well each state has done in implementing the standards set by the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The laws address four issues impacting children: child marriage, corporal punishment, child labor, and juvenile justice. No state received better than a “C” grade, and the United States remains the only country in the world that has not ratified the Convention. Read more.

Authors: International Labour Organization, Walk Free, and International Organization for Migration
Published: September, 2022

International organizations estimate that 50 million people were living in a form of modern slavery in 2021, including an estimated 22 million living in a forced marriage. These numbers are millions higher than the previous estimates done in 2017, a result of compounding global crises including the COVID-19 pandemic. Forced marriage impacts men and women in every region and country of the world. The authors recommend a comprehensive suite of policies to end forced marriage globally. Read more.