It happens here, in the United States. In your state. In your town. It happened to me; I was forced into marriage. My name is Nina, and I grew up in Michigan in a fundamentalist Christian community. My family and community believe that women are supposed to be subservient to men. Girls are raised to…

Our Training and Resource Toolkit is intended to provide a basic foundation for professionals seeking to understand the unique dynamics of and challenges posed by forced marriage cases and better identify, screen and respond to individuals at risk. This is a good starting point for teachers, counselors, domestic violence and sexual assault service providers, hotline and shelter staff, youth…

Kristen Meinzer, “The Child Bride Next Door: Inside America’s Forced Marriage Problem,” The Take Away (December 28, 2015). Interview with Unchained At Last founder, Fraidy Reiss highlighting the issue of child marriage in the United States and citing child marriage statistics in New York as well as the 2011 Tahirih Justice Center survey on forced marriage.…

Isolation is one of the most common problems facing an individual who is trapped in, or under threat of, a forced marriage. They may feel like there is nobody that they can confide in and no resources or agencies geared to their specific situation. Talking to a stranger about personal matters can be very difficult…