Author: Tahirih Justice Center

Original Publication: July 2013

Updated: September 2022

This document provides an overview of state criminal codes that address forced marriage in the United States, including those of California, Florida, Indiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma, Virginia, and West Virginia, as well as Washington DC and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It also provides information on Massachusetts, Michigan, and Minnesota’s laws addressing abduction for the purpose of marriage.

This webinar features Heather Heiman and Casey Swegman from the Forced Marriage Initiative at the Tahirih Justice Center. The webinar presents an overview of the nature and scope of forced marriage in the United States, as well as a discussion of the complex social and cultural dynamics and the unique challenges of problem-solving and safety-planning in such cases. The webinar also provides guidance on how to better screen for and identify potential warning signs and indicators of forced marriage within the populations you serve and best practices for providing culturally responsive services.

This webinar features Morgan Weibel, Supervising Immigration Attorney, and Heather Heiman, Forced Marriage Initiative Project Manager and Senior Policy Attorney, from the Tahirih Justice Center. The webinar outlines concerns and provides practical tips for helping “reluctant sponsors,” as well as protections available to individuals in the United States who are fleeing forced marriages overseas.

This webinar was first presented as part of the Forced Marriage Initiative’s Quarterly Webinar Series on June 19th, 2013.

This webinar features Janine Gannon (Attorney Advisor), Margery Gehan (Victim Assistance Specialist), and Sylvia Hammond (Citizen Services Specialist) from the U.S. Department of State.

This webinar was first presented as part of the Forced Marriage Initiative’s Quarterly Webinar Series on October 25th, 2012.

*This webinar is not publicly available. Please contact us at FMI@tahirih.org for more information.