Authors: Suzanne Petroni, Madhumita Das, & Susan M Sawyer

Publication: December 5, 2018

As many governments worldwide have raised the legal age of marriage to 18 years, some are also considering raising the age of sexual consent. Without close-in-age exemptions, arguments to align the legal age of sexual consent with that of marriage would restrict the ability of adolescents to legally have sex. The authors find that, because the consideration to marry and to have sex are very different, the minimum ages need not be aligned.

Authors: Aditi Wahi, Kristen L. Zaleski, Jacob Lampe, Patricia Bevan, & Alissa Koski

Publication: February 12, 2019

Researchers interviewed Americans who were married under age 18, investigating the reasons behind their child marriages, and the experiences face by participants as a result of marrying underage. Most participants reported experiencing abuse related to their marriage, including physical, sexual, financial, and emotional abuse. Read more.

Unfortunately, due to journal guidelines, we are unable to provide free access to the full article. The link above will redirect you to the journal website where you can view the abstract and select payment options to access the full text.

Authors: Sino Esthappan, Sara Bastomski, Janine Zweig, Meredith Dank, and Hannah Love

Publication: October 19, 2018

While an emerging scholarly literature has begun to inform responses to forced marriage in Canada and Western Europe, few studies have examined the issue in the United States. The present study is the first large scale examination of forced marriage prevalence in the United States. It surveys a national sample of adult internet users to estimate prevalence of and gender disparities in forced marriage among U.S. adults. Read more.

Unfortunately, due to journal guidelines, we are unable to provide free access to the full article. The link above will redirect you to the journal website where you can view the abstract and select payment options to access the full text.

Author: Tahirih Justice Center

Publication: January 2014

This document outlines the Tahirih Justice Center’s policy recommendations regarding what the U.S. can do to end forced marriage.

This webinar, originally presented as part of the Forced Marriage Initiative’s Quarterly Webinar Series, provides an overview of the current body of research highlighting the ways in which forced marriage intersects with child abuse, sexual assault and rape, domestic and family violence, stalking, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), and human trafficking. It discusses effective intervention strategies and best practice and prepares advocates to recognize and respond to forced marriage alongside other forms of harm.

This webinar was first presented as part of the Forced Marriage Initiative’s Quarterly Webinar Series on March 25th, 2016.