The passage of a new law to prevent coerced and forced marriage of children in Virginia is a big victory, but more work needs to be done to protect girls across the country.
“What we know about child marriage in the U.S. is that we’re looking at the very tip of the iceberg in terms of what the nature and scope of the problem is,” said Jeanne Smoot, Tahirih’s Senior Counsel for Policy and Strategy Jeanne Smoot.
“We’re hoping that with more knowledge, people will feel compelled to act to address the gaps in protection and the clear harms that result from it.”
