Child and forced marriages are surprisingly common in the United States. Parents usually want their daughter to enter the marriage as a virgin and not give up. Sometimes, however, it is simply about money or a residence permit.
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In front of the Massachusetts Capitol in Boston, women who were themselves victims of such involuntary marriages protest against child marriage.
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“Young married, never regretted,” we used to say. Times have changed now, and child marriages and forced marriages make one think of Africa, India, or Muslim societies, but hardly the United States. Surprisingly, however, the practice is widespread there as well. The organization Unchained At Lastwhich works to help victims of involuntary marriages, estimates that around 300,000 people in the US were married as minors between 2000 and 2018, some as young as 10.
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