Author Topic: Child marriage still legal in U.S.  (Read 1308 times)

darklord
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Child marriage still legal in U.S.
« on: September 08, 2019, 07:24:35 PM »
Call me dumb but I had no idea



https://apple.news/ARm9AJ_eJTz-MjBxEtu5PEQ

BadKira
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Re: Child marriage still legal in U.S.
« Reply #1 on: September 08, 2019, 08:42:19 PM »
I had no idea also. I would have thought something like this would be made into major issues by now. Mature enough or not, 2 decades is bare minimum to really start experiencing life. Looking back at the 16 year old me who thought I already knew the world and I saw how naive I was. Without proper law people will just continue to exploit others through the loophole.

darklord
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Re: Child marriage still legal in U.S.
« Reply #2 on: September 08, 2019, 08:53:21 PM »
I'm with you badkira. I would have thought the media would be all over this issue.

Offline Army of One

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Re: Child marriage still legal in U.S.
« Reply #3 on: September 08, 2019, 11:57:21 PM »
I'll admit, I knew this used to be the case in the US, but only recently realised that it was still happening, and that the "reasons" (read: excuses) were mind-boggling.

But do you want to know the real reason? (Sorry, that part of me is going to come out now.) Control. Not necessarily political control, but control (i.e. limits) of autonomy.

I'll give an Australia-centric example of what can happen. Now, marraige here is set at 18, 16 with permission. However, you could be deemed as being in a relationship by the Department of Human Services, even if you're trying to escape an abusive relationship. That means your husband can still take control of your finances, including any benefits you could be entitled to.

If you're wondering how this relates to child marraige, remember that a minor is still under guardianship, either by a parent or a legal guardian (including spouse). This means they can take control of finances, job prospects, education...
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Offline Lois

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Re: Child marriage still legal in U.S.
« Reply #4 on: September 22, 2019, 02:57:42 PM »
One of the biggest problems with child marriage occurs when the girl is under age 18 and the man is legally an adult.  The man then becomes her guardian.  If he beats her and she leaves, battered women's shelters can not take her in because she is "under-aged".  Technically her husband is her guardain and she does not have the same rights as an adult.  This exposes her to abuse with fewer resources than an adult would have.
So much oppression in our culture is based on shame about sex: the oppression of women, of cultural minorities, oppression in the name of the (presumably asexual) family, oppression of sexual minorities. We are all oppressed. We have all been taught, one way or another, that our desires, our bodies, our sexualities, are shameful. What better way to defeat oppression than to get together in communities and celebrate the wonders of sex?
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darklord
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Re: Child marriage still legal in U.S.
« Reply #5 on: September 23, 2019, 12:36:53 PM »
One of the biggest problems with child marriage occurs when the girl is under age 18 and the man is legally an adult.  The man then becomes her guardian.  If he beats her and she leaves, battered women's shelters can not take her in because she is "under-aged".  Technically her husband is her guardain and she does not have the same rights as an adult.  This exposes her to abuse with fewer resources than an adult would have.

Damn!!

Offline Army of One

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Re: Child marriage still legal in U.S.
« Reply #6 on: September 23, 2019, 04:19:39 PM »
One of the biggest problems with child marriage occurs when the girl is under age 18 and the man is legally an adult.  The man then becomes her guardian.  If he beats her and she leaves, battered women's shelters can not take her in because she is "under-aged".  Technically her husband is her guardain and she does not have the same rights as an adult.  This exposes her to abuse with fewer resources than an adult would have.
Thank you, Lois, for putting it better than I.
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AbyssussMancipium
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Re: Child marriage still legal in U.S.
« Reply #7 on: September 27, 2019, 09:34:37 AM »
One of the biggest problems with child marriage occurs when the girl is under age 18 and the man is legally an adult.  The man then becomes her guardian.  If he beats her and she leaves, battered women's shelters can not take her in because she is "under-aged".  Technically her husband is her guardain and she does not have the same rights as an adult.  This exposes her to abuse with fewer resources than an adult would have.

That's brutal. There were a few cases I was following years back, they were all religiously motivated and when the girl attempted to finally leave, and seek help, she was completely disowned by her church and family.

Offline Army of One

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Re: Child marriage still legal in U.S.
« Reply #8 on: September 27, 2019, 03:50:16 PM »
One of the biggest problems with child marriage occurs when the girl is under age 18 and the man is legally an adult.  The man then becomes her guardian.  If he beats her and she leaves, battered women's shelters can not take her in because she is "under-aged".  Technically her husband is her guardain and she does not have the same rights as an adult.  This exposes her to abuse with fewer resources than an adult would have.

That's brutal. There were a few cases I was following years back, they were all religiously motivated and when the girl attempted to finally leave, and seek help, she was completely disowned by her church and family.
If she did leave, she may have been one of the lucky ones.
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Offline Tornado1935
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Re: Child marriage still legal in U.S.
« Reply #9 on: March 04, 2020, 08:02:13 AM »
I absolutely despise the idea of child marriage regardless of the reason. Those who do it in the name of religion or so-called family honor are stuck in the middle ages and need to get with the times.

There was an episode of the Blacklist that dealt with a villain who was targeting men who engaged in child marriage. I found myself pulling for the villain and Samar, one of the federal agents on the team asked if they should look the other way on this.

Let kids be kids.