From Miriam Karmali, Freedom United

Right now, our community is taking action against forced marriage around the world. Sign the petition and join the conversation in the comments!

Kathy says:

“Forced marriage (especially with children) is akin to hatred of females and essentially it is slavery. To bring a child into the world to sell is cruel & evil. It creates more poverty for that country/society by squelching the potential of 1/2 of the population who could otherwise become educated/ skilled and fulfilled through work (and greatly contributing to the wellbeing of their families.)”[1]

What do you think?  Join the conversation in the comments!  The younger a child is, the less freedom they have to give their consent to marriage and the more vulnerable they are to modern slavery. Girls who are victims of forced child marriage are often subjected to abuse, sexual exploitation, and control, with little or no power over their own movements.

Sign the petition!

Peter says:

“Innocent children trafficked by their own families right to the door of their potential abuser.”[2]

In Afghanistan, girls are being forced out of school and into marriages to ease their families’ financial burdens.[3] Under the Taliban, women and girls’ freedom has been severely curtailed. Though the Taliban banned forced marriage, this has not been enforced and the number of forced marriages has increased since girls have been banned from attending school.

And in the U.S., a bill to introduce a minimum age of marriage to 16 in Wyoming is currently at risk  of being blocked.[4] Shockingly, Wyoming is one of eight states in the U.S. with no minimum age of marriage at all. This leaves children extremely vulnerable to being coerced into marriages against their will.

Almost 100,000 in the Freedom United community are demanding an end to forced marriage everywhere. Add your voice today to power the call on governments to act.

Sign the petition and share your thoughts in the comments!

In solidarity,

Miriam and the team supporting the Freedom United community

Miriam Karmali Advocacy, Freedom United

[1] https://www.freedomunited.org/advocate/stand-against-forced-marriage/

[2] Ibid

[3] https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/feb/09/no-escape-for-afghan-girls-forced-out-of-education-and-into-early-marriage

[4] https://www.newsweek.com/wyoming-ending-child-marriage-sparks-republican-outrage-17805