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The Documentary: America's child brides

Unchained at Last protesters

29/09/2019 GMT

America's child brides

BBC World Service - The Documentary, America's child brides

In America children can get married legally in most states. Jane O'Brien investigates.

A tense debate is taking place in states across America. At what age should someone be allowed to marry? Currently in 48 out of 50 states a child can marry, usually with parental consent or a judge's discretion. In 17 states there is no minimum age, meaning in theory, a two year old could marry. But there is a campaign to change the law and raise the minimum age of marriage to 18 without exceptions across all American states. But changing the laws state by state is not as easy as one may think. There is resistance and raising the minimum age to 18 has often been blocked by legislators.

Jane O'Brien speaks to child brides, the campaigners pushing to make it illegal, and the people who say that the laws do not need to change.

Presenter/Reporter: Jane O’Brien
Producer:  Rajeev Gupta

(Photo: Unchained at Last protesters campaign against child marriage in Boston. Credit Susan Landmann)

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