Unchained At Last

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This is the name of a non-profit dedicated to forced and child marriage. Fraidy Reiss founded the organization in 2011, and it is the only one of its kind in the United States. As of 2017 marriage before age 18 was legal in all 50 states. Research done by Unchained found that between 2000 and 2021 nearly 315,000 children (mostly females) were married as young as 10 years old. Mostly girls married to adult men. One of the issues for young girls is that they cannot get legal representation until age 18. They cannot sign legal paperwork. California, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and New Mexico have no age limit. Some have 15 as the marital age and some 17, and only about 20+ is age 18. There is a senate bill in Ohio now but has been stalled. Over 5,000 minors were married in Ohio between 2000 and 2024. The Republican Senate President Rob McColley has pulled this bill from the agenda siting that more time was needed to consider the legislation.