Category : Forced Marriage
Global Estimates of Modern Slavery: Forced Labour and Forced Marriage
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.
Panel Event: A New Vision for Addressing Forced Marriage in the United States
A panel of national experts discussed how the United States National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence addresses forced and child marriage. Panelists include:
- Alena Victor, Chief Program Officer, Womankind
- Grace Huang, Directory of Policy, API-GBV
- Shenna Morris, Director of Policy, NRCDV
- Dr. Nusrat Ameen, Senior Director, Daya
- Casey Swegman, Director of Public Policy, Tahirih Justice Center
Read the full Framework for Addressing Forced and Child Marriage in the U.S. National Action to End Gender Based Violence here.
Framework for Addressing Forced and Child Marriage in the U.S. National Action Plan to End Gender Based Violence
Authors: Forced Marriage Working Group
Publication: October, 2021
This Framework is the result of months of collaboration and consultation with our partners in the National Forced Marriage Working Group, and is the first document of its kind charting a comprehensive path forward on the issue of forced and child marriage in the U.S. The Framework calls for an intersectional approach to supporting survivors rooted in anti-oppression and anti-racism, increased awareness among service providers, advocates, and policy makers as well as a coordinated whole of government response, dedicated funding streams to enhance programs and services, and support for research and policy change at the state and federal level. Read more.
Naming the Harm and Meeting the Unmet Mental Health Needs of Forced Marriage Survivors in the United States
Dr. Neha Batool highlights the most recent research findings about women’s experiences with forced marriage and identifies the underlying mechanisms that influence the experience of forced marriages. She focuses on women’s psychological wellbeing prior to, during, and after the forced marriage and discusses both short-term and long-term mental health challenges related to attachment styles, identity development, gender socialization, and intergenerational influences.
Will You Marry Me, Later? Age-of-Marriage Laws and Child Marriage in Mexico
Authors: Cristine Belles-Obrero and Maria Lombardi
Publication: August 1, 2021
New research looks at the effect of minimum marriage age reforms in Mexico, and includes insights for advocates working to end child marriage in the United States. Among these is the fact that many Mexican states took an incremental approach to child marriage reform, first raising their minimum marriage age to 16 before eventually ending all marriage under 18, without exceptions – perhaps providing a useful blueprint for effective incremental reform in U.S. states that resist going to age 18 as a first step. The researchers also found that action by the federal government seems to have been critical in pushing states to pass “18, no exceptions” laws, again laying out a strategic model available for U.S. advocates who could push Congress to incentivize more U.S. states to take action.
