Author: Tahirih Justice Center

Publication: February 13th, 2017

Forced and child marriage in Texas is a serious problem with a simple, first-step solution — ensuring that only legal adults empowered to advocate for themselves can enter the legal contract and potentially lifelong commitment that marriage entails. SB 1705 / HB 3932 is a commonsense, bipartisan bill that sets the legal minimum marriage age at 18, with an exception for minors emancipated by court order. Read our backgrounder to learn more about the child marriage problem in Texas, how the current laws fail to prioritize child protection, and how this bill addresses the problem.