Falls Church – While all of Washington, DC’s mid-Atlantic neighbors have taken action to limit or end child marriage, it remains legal in the District in 2024. But the DC City Council appears poised to change that, with the introduction of the Child Marriage Prohibition Amendment Act of 2024 by Councilmember Brooke Pinto (Ward 2).
“As states step up to end child marriage, DC is increasingly at risk of becoming a regional destination for exploitation,” said Alex Goyette, Public Policy Manager with the Tahirih Justice Center. “It’s time to modernize DC law and protect children from this tragic and exploitative experience.”
To mark the bill’s introduction, Tahirih Justice Center is releasing a new report, “Child Marriage in Washington, DC,” examining this often hidden, but insidious problem, as well as a two-page issue brief about the DC legislation.
The coalition to advance this legislation in DC includes the Tahirih Justice Center and local leadership from The Person Center and the DC Rape Crisis Center.
As the Tahirih Justice Center report explains, “Virginia sparked a wave of reforms in 2016 when it became the first state to limit marriage to legal adults. The movement spread from there and we have now seen laws passed to limit or end child marriage in 35 states. All of DC’s neighbors have taken action to at least limit child marriage – [from Washington, DC] one would have to travel as far south as South Carolina and all the way to Illinois in the West before reaching another state that has yet to pass any law on this issue.”
According to Councilmember Pinto, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of minors getting married in the District of Columbia, rising from two in 2020 to fifteen in 2023. “This big uptick in 2023 could be a result of nearby states passing their own reforms, leading the District to become a destination for child marriage,” she said. “Maryland and Virginia both passed child marriage prohibition legislation within the past two years, highlighting the crucial need for the District to enact similar legislation swiftly.”
The Child Marriage Prohibition Amendment Act would set a minimum age of consent for marriage in the District of Columbia to 18, with no exceptions. It was co-introduced by nine other members of the DC Council and co-sponsored by two others. As Chairwoman of the Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety, Pinto has set the hearing for the bill on October 21st at 10:30am.
“Washington DC is regarded as one of the most powerful cities on the globe. It is also the city where policies are drafted that affect international relations. It’s time that Washington DC lawmakers looked inwards and paid attention to their own policies, particularly those that leave children vulnerable to exploitation under the guise of marriage. This heinous act destroys lives, derails futures and steals a child’s education that would have otherwise propelled them to greatness,” said Sasha Taylor, child marriage survivor-advocate and founder of SK Sultana LLC.
Dr. Indira Henard, Executive Director of the DC Rape Crisis Center added, “We are pleased that the District of Columbia has joined many across the nation in ending Child Marriage in DC, and upholding DC Values. What we know for sure is that all forms of oppression are connected, and that by ending child marriage we are reaffirming our commitment to consent, and body autonomy. This groundbreaking legislation meets the moment in time, and we are grateful to our local, and national partners, DC Council and the courageous survivors who’ve shared their stories with us.”
“Closing the loophole, and ending child marriage in the District is an instrumental effort in intimate partner violence prevention,” said Lul Mohamud, MPH, Executive Director of The Person Center. “Subjecting children, disproportionately young girls, to marriage before their ability to consent and seek help sets off a long domino effect of sexual abuse, financial disenfranchisement, homelessness, and cycles of harm that we as advocates see every single day. As a service provider for the African Immigrant community in DC, we know that our Black and Brown Immigrant survivors face a unique level of vulnerability due to systemic disadvantages. Closing the door on child marriage in DC can ensure that our most vulnerable victims are no longer locked in legal marriages that block them from the help they need, and strips away their hope for survival.”
The U.S. Congress is also considering nationwide reforms. U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Brian Schatz (D-HI), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced the Child Marriage Prevention Act, a bill that would go a long way toward modernizing federal and state law when it comes to child marriage. It encourages states to raise age-of-marriage laws to 18, as is under consideration in DC; prohibits child marriages on federal lands and property; and strengthens U.S. immigration laws so that minors cannot be used by abusers — even under their parents’ direction or consent — as a passport to immigration.
Read the full Tahirih Justice Center report, “Child Marriage is a Problem in the United States” and two-page issue brief about the proposed DC law. Find additional information at preventforcedmarriage.org/
Contact: Lynn Tramonte, [email protected] / 202-255-0551
