A historical first in our state, the Senate Appropriations Committee is due to hear AB 1267 on August 3, a bill to finally end the child abuse that is child marriage. For years, child marriage survivors, gender justice organizations, and allies have fought to make the official age for marriage in our state 18 with no exceptions. The research in favor of our position is overwhelming: Child marriage undermines our statutory rape laws, serving as a get-out-of-jail-free card for would-be rapists.
Regardless of their maturity level, minors, even a day before their 18th birthday, cannot easily leave home, get help from an advocate, enter a domestic violence shelter, retain an attorney or bring a legal action independently. This is why, globally, all marriage before age 18 is considered forced marriage, which is a form of modern slavery.
Further, child marriage destroys girls' health, education and economic opportunities, and increases their risk of experiencing violence. Those who marry before 18 have a 70-80% chance of divorcing, which brings additional hardship and instability. The U.S. State Department calls marriage before 18 a 'human rights abuse.' The United Nations calls it a 'harmful practice.'
AB 1267 would end this human rights abuse and bring California in line with states across the nation--including Oregon and Washington--and countries around the world that are raising their marriage age to 18, no exceptions. Please support this commonsense bill.