Ban Child Marriage in the United States by Year 2030

Summary

In 2025, Unchained At Last committed to advancing legislation to ban child marriage in United States by 2030. Unchained and its allies will apply effective strategies they have used to achieve legislative bans in 16 U.S. states to drive state-level bans in 34 states. Specifically, they will aim for seven state victories each year over the next four years by finding bipartisan legislative champions; drafting strong legislation; conducting in-depth research and analysis; creating written materials and explainers based on the research and analysis; building and managing state-specific and national coalitions of organizations, survivors, and activists; testifying at legislative hearings, submitting written memos of support, and coordinating oral and written testimony from survivors and allies; launching email campaigns; raising awareness through earned media; and hosting events, including Chain-Ins, a powerful form of protest Unchained invented where participants wear bridal gowns and chains.

Approach

Unlike in countries where child marriage persists despite strong laws against it, child marriage in the U.S. persists because of outdated laws that allow it. The solution therefore begins with each state passing legislation to make the marriage age 18, no exceptions.

To make that happen, Unchained and its allies will implement the strategies they used to achieve this legislative victory in 16 U.S. states so far. This includes driving legislative action by finding bipartisan legislative champions; drafting strong legislation; meeting with every state legislator to urge support and following up until they commit; testifying at legislative hearings and submitting written memos of support and testimony from survivors and allies; and building and managing state-specific and national coalitions of organizations, survivors, and activists. It also will involve generating data and evidence including conducting in-depth research and analysis; and creating written materials and explainers based on the research and analysis. Finally, it will involve raising public awareness through launching email campaigns; raising awareness through earned media; and hosting events, including Chain-Ins, a powerful form of protest Unchained invented, at which participants wear bridal gowns and chains.

Action Plan

To date, Unchained’s team has averaged approximately two state legislative victories per year as it pushes every U.S. state to make the marriage age 18, no exceptions. Unchained hopes to more than triple that pace, as follows:

2025: Pass legislation at current pace, in two more states, by end of year.

2026 Q1: Introduce legislation in 15 states and pursue advocacy strategies described above.
2026 Q2 to Q3: Continue to advocate. Pass legislation in seven states (half of the bills likely will fail) .
2026 Q3 to Q4: Lay groundwork to introduce legislation in 15 states next year.

2027 Q1: Introduce legislation in 15 states and pursue advocacy strategies described above.
2027 Q2 to Q3: Continue to advocate. Pass legislation in seven states (half of the bills likely will fail) .
2027 Q3 to Q4: Lay groundwork to introduce legislation in 15 states next year.

2028 Q1: Introduce legislation in 15 states and pursue advocacy strategies described above.
2028 Q2 to Q3: Continue to advocate. Pass legislation in seven states.
2028 Q3 to Q4: Lay groundwork to introduce legislation in 14 states next year.

2029 Q1: Introduce legislation in 14 states and pursue advocacy strategies described above.
2029 Q2 to Q3: Continue to advocate. Pass legislation in seven states.
2029 Q3 to Q4: Lay groundwork to introduce legislation in seven states next year.

2030 Q1: Introduce legislation in four remaining states and pursue advocacy strategies described above.
2030 Q2 to Q3: Continue to advocate. Pass legislation in seven states.

In this way, every U.S. state will have banned child marriage by the end of 2030.

Background

Child marriage, or marriage before age 18, is a particularly heinous form of forced marriage, which is recognized as a form of modern slavery. In 2017, the United States Department of State joined the rest of the world in condemning child marriage as a “harmful practice” and promising to eliminate it by year 2030 to help achieve gender equality.But the U.S. is not on track to keep this important promise.

The age of marriage in the U.S. has long been set by each state. While nations around the world have been banning child marriage, it remains legal – and happening at an alarming rate – in 34 U.S. states. The other 16 states banned child marriage only in the last few years.

Due to these dangerous, outdated laws, more than 315,000 minors have been legally entered into marriage in the U.S. since 2000 – mostly girls wed to adult men. At least 66,000 were not old enough to consent to sex with their spouse (Unchained At Last, 2025) .

Child marriage is as devastating in the U.S. as it is across the globe. Until minors turn 18, they have limited legal rights that leave them highly vulnerable to being forced to marry and/or forced to stay in an unwanted or abusive marriage. They typically face overwhelming legal and practical barriers if they try to leave home, enter a domestic violence shelter, retain an attorney, or even file for divorce.

Further, child marriage is statistically associated with adverse impact on almost every aspect of an American girl’s life, including her health, education, economic opportunities, and even physical safety. It often leads to a loss of sexual and reproductive rights, with girls forced to endure pregnancy, childbirth, and parenthood without their consent. The U.S. must finally keep its promise and ban child marriage.

Progress Update

Partnership Opportunities

Unchained is a tiny team (10 strong) with a huge and hugely important mission. The organization is eagerly seeking additional financial resources (for staff and travel) , media support, PR services, lobbying/advocacy expertise, and connections to state legislators and governors.,With its string of legislative victories, Unchained has proved that it can offer potential allies the passion, topic expertise, strategies, and community of partners that are necessary for a successful national movement to ban child marriage in the U.S. Look at what Unchained has achieved to date – and imagine what it share with additional partners.