Unchained At Last

Today, NCL's CEO Sally Greenberg joined forces with the DC Coalition Against Child Marriage and courageous child marriage survivors Brigitte Combs and Vilas Wright. Together, they spoke with D.C. Councilmember Brooke Pinto about a critical issue: child marriage in the District of Columbia.

Did you know? In D.C., girls as young as 16 and 17 can be married off to older men with just one parent's permission, without even requiring proof of the minor's own consent. The consequences are severe: higher risks of domestic and s*xual violence, dropping out of school, and mental health challenges. We stand together to in D.C. Unchained At Last

More than 20 forced and child marriage survivors, activists and allies joined us in San Jose last Thursday to outside Asm. Ash Kalra’s office, in bridal gowns and chains.

Our message to Kalra was clear: Stop holding up , the widely popular bill to in California and eliminate a human rights abuse that destroys girls’ lives.

We chained-in in San Jose to protest child marriage - Unchained At Last As you might have read in Mercury News, Newsweek and other news outlets, more than 20 forced and child marriage survivors, activists and allies joined us in San Jose last Thursday to chain-in outside Asm. Ash Kalra’s office, in bridal gowns and chains. Our message to Kalra was clear: Stop holding ...

Did you know there is no minimum age in California for a parent to give permission for a child to marry? According to an analysis by Unchained At Last, more than 8,000 children (mostly girls) in California are entered into marriage every year—often with devastating, lifelong consequences.

While advocates from all over the world are making noise to end this harmful practice and achieve gender equality, AB2924, the bill that would end child marriage in California, is still waiting for a fair vote in the California Assembly.

Yesterday, in a historic protest, survivors of child marriage gathered outside Assemblymember Ash Kalra’s office to ask him to set a hearing date for a bill that would set the minimum marriage age to 18.



https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/survivors-of-child-marriage-hold-chain-in-protest-outside-south-bay-legislator-s-office/ar-BB1qeIbC

, we're Chaining-In with advocates and survivors outside Asm. Ash Kalra 's office in San Jose on Thursday to demand he stop blocking the bill to in California: https://bit.ly/3W2OeZ6

is a very real problem right here in the U.S., affecting mostly girls wed to adult men, like Courtney and Sara. In many states, child marriage can also be a workaround for statutory r**e: https://bit.ly/3LsviMZ The Guardian

‘I was handed to a complete stranger’: the survivors fighting to end child marriage in 37 US states – and the people who want to keep it legal The country has seen hundreds of thousands of child marriages since 2000. As activists push for new laws, an unlikely cohort stands in their way

‘I was handed to a complete stranger’: the survivors fighting to end child marriage in 37 US states – and the people who want to keep it legal The country has seen hundreds of thousands of child marriages since 2000. As activists push for new laws, an unlikely cohort stands in their way

Congratulations to Sierra Leone, who just banned ! Now the U.S. just needs to follow suit... Reuters

Sierra Leone outlaws child marriage with new bill Sierra Leone officially banned child marriage on Tuesday with President Julius Maada Bio signing into law a bill to end the practice that remains widespread.

: We refuse to stay silent while California Asm. Ash Kalra blocks the widely popular bill to , a human rights abuse that destroys girls' lives. with us outside his district office in San Jose on July 18 to protest child marriage and urge him him to pass the simple, commonsense bill that would end child marriage in California: https://bit.ly/3W2OeZ6

Chain-In San Jose I'm going to Chain-In with Unchained At Last on July 18 in San Jose to urge legislators to in , . Will you join?

We're closed this week to give the some well-deserved R&R, but don't worry: We're still always here to help. If you need support leaving or resisting an or , please reach out here:

Get Help - Unchained At Last Do you need help leaving or resisting an arranged/forced marriage, or do you know someone who does? Submit the form below or call (908) 481-HOPE. You are eligible for services if: You are currently being or already have been pressured, bribed, tricked, threatened or otherwise coerced to marry (wheth...

As of today, more than 1,500 minors have been forced to marry since Asm. Ash Kalra blocked the bill to . Most were girls wed to adult men. Each day he refuses a hearing, another ~22 minors are subjected to a abuse.

This calls for a protest. with us in San Jose on July 18. We’ll gather outside Asm. Kalra's district office wearing bridal gowns and veils, with our arms chained and mouths taped, to urge him to pass the bill to end in .

We provide the bridal gowns, veils and chains. All you need to do is register here – and join us to insist Asm. Kalra and California legislators end child marriage!

Chain-In San Jose I'm going to Chain-In with Unchained At Last on July 18 in San Jose to urge legislators to in , . Will you join?

🚨 NEW WEBSITE ALERT🚨 : Have you checked out our brand-new website yet?? We offer info on and in the U.S., resources for survivors, ways to get involved and more! Visit us now:

Home - Unchained At Last helping women leave arranged/forced marriages

Every day is National when you have a and Chief Cuddle Officer like on your team! 🐕‍🦺

Just in time for and peak beach reading season, our friend Dr. Sara Glass has launched her new book, 'Kissing Girls on Shabbat,' an achingly raw yet triumphant memoir about her experiences with Hasidic Judaism, and queerness. Her story is a reminder that forced marriage, forced marital s*x and forced parenthood do not happen only to cishetero women:

Kissing Girls on Shabbat A moving coming-of-age memoir in the vein of Unorthodox and Educated, about one young woman’s desperate attempt to protect her children and family ...

We're on Alyssa Milano's podcast this week talking about our uphill battle to in California! We're grateful to count her among our allies in this fight!

Unchained at Last - Ending Child and Forced Marriage with Fraidy Reiss by Alyssa Milano: Sorry Not Sorry Would you be shocked to learn that much of the United States, including California, has no minimum age for marriage? Unfortunately, it's true. To get into the roots of this issue and the harm it does, we’ve invited Fraidy Reiss on the show. Fraidy herself endured a forced marriage, and is now the ...

We’re still seeking a Senior Writer and Researcher to join our growing team — but we are now offering a ✨ significantly ✨ higher salary. And, as always, we are offering outstanding benefits that show how much we value our team members! (In addition, of course, to the mad bragging rights and deep sense of fulfillment that come with helping to steer the national movement to end forced and child marriage.) Learn more and apply: https://www.unchainedatlast.org/wanted-senior-writer-researcher/

Happy from us and our facility dog, Fairfax! We know can particularly affect the + community, but we are always here to help. Learn more at unchainedatlast.org. 🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

for :

Unlike their counterparts in almost every other U.S. state that have supported minimum marriage ages or stayed neutral, American Civil Liberties Union of California and Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California support child marriage.

Their arguments are perplexing. They claim banning child marriage would drive minors in abusive relationships “underground,” out of reach of social services. Does anyone believe a minor in an abusive dating relationship benefits from marrying their abuser? Or that a minor with abusive parents can access social services only if their parents enter them into marriage?

They also claim banning child marriage would be “denying these young people the right to marry.” But minors do not have that right; a judge and a parent or guardian may enter them into marriage, with no real recourse for a minor who does not want to marry.

The Mercury News Alyssa Milano

Opinion: California enables abusive child marriage, but Bay Area lawmaker blocks reform effort Actress and leader Alyssa Milano calls out state’s outdated law that can lead to ‘Kafkaesque nightmare’ for minors

We're halfway through our challenge of raising $100k in the last 50 days of 2023 to help and in all 50 U.S. states! We have 25 days left, and still more than $25k to go to reach our goal. Help us get there: https://bit.ly/3FSC63U

Do you want to help and in the U.S. during the of Activism? Learn how you can take action here:

Take Action - Unchained At Last Unchained At Last is the only nonprofit dedicated to ending forced and child marriage in the United States through direct services and systems change. Unchained is an almost all-volunteer organization, and it cannot fulfill its mission without the support of people like you. Here’s how you can hel...

What comes to mind when you hear "child bride?"

You may not being imagining your American neighbors down the street marrying off their teenager.

Child marriage is legal in 40 US States.

This issue was something Unchained At Last founder Fraidy Reiss learned about after escaping her own forced marriage.

In episode 216 you'll hear:

👉Her story of being forced into marriage in Brooklyn, NY
👉How she escaped with the help of a cereal box
👉How helping others in forced marriages led her to child marriages
👉Why a teen mom is better off unmarried
👉Law makers responses to making legal marrying age 18

Find Meredith for Real: the curious introvert wherever you listen to podcasts or click the link: https://linktr.ee/meredithforreal

is one of 5 U.S. states that does not have a minimum age for marriage? Call on Gov. Gavin Newsom California Governor to in CA with Citizen: https://bit.ly/400OsQC

California: Support Ban on Child Marriage Leave a message for Governor Newsom calling on California to support an absolute ban on marriages for those younger than 18.

, we're Chaining-In in Olympia, next month to urge legislators to pass , the pending bill that would . Join us:

Here come the brides: Chain-In with us in Olympia on January 18! - Unchained At Last REGISTER HERE (FREE) Child marriage is an urgent problem in Washington. Dangerous legal loopholes allow parents to enter a child of ANY AGE into marriage without any input required from the child, and without any real legal recourse for a child who does not want to marry. Some 5,048 minors as young....