This first-of-its-kind policy memo (2020) analyzes state minimum marriage age laws to determine where marriage can allow for statutory defense to or exception from prosecution for statutory rape and/or other age-based sex offenses in at least 40 states and the District of Columbia.
See AllAnalysis of Minimum Marriage Age Laws and Age-Based Sex Offenses in the U.S.
Survivor Voices
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Anika
Living in India as a divorced single mother was very hard. My abusive first husband abandoned my daughter and I when she was very young and never provided any support. […]
July 29, 2025 -
Anastasia
I came to the U.S. in the winter of 2006. Life back home in Mexico was tough for me and my family. I dreamt of going to college and graduating but with my family’s economic status, that dream was too costly and impossible.
At least I was able to graduate high school and that is something I am proud of since I was also working at the time to help my family. I was always looking for an opportunity to have a better life as a young woman.June 23, 2023
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