Perhaps the most concerning aspect of child marriage laws in the United States is that in 23, or approximately half, of the states, there is no minimum age for marriage with parental and judicial consent. This is known as not having a “floor” for marriage, or no bottom limit.

This means that if both parents and a judge sign off on the marriage, a child of any age can be married in that state. This lack of a “floor” for marriage puts children–most often young girls–at risk of sex abuse, because in many instances of child marriage, the parents are the ones who are forcing their child to marry. In May 2017, Governor Chris Christie vetoed a New Jersey law that would have prohibited all marriages under 18 in New Jersey. The movement to end child marriage and sex abuse in the United States is growing at this time, and CHILD USA is dedicated to reforming the laws to ensure children are not married before the age of 18.