It's 2021, and America has a child marriage crisis.

206. That's the number of children married across the United States every day. The only reason this human rights abuse is still legal in the United States is because lawmakers don't believe their constituents care about this issue.

Only 4 states in the U.S. have banned child marriage. Despite repeated attempts by survivors and advocates each year to overcome the legislative shortcomings that destroy countless young lives, misconceptions and misinformation prevent progress and prolong a deadly status quo. 

Many people think these laws simply allow for high school sweethearts to begin happily-ever-after lives with a white picket fence and 2.5 kids. But all is not Jack and Jill. The reality is far more sinister: child marriages are often forced marriages which feature young girls coerced by their parents or guardians into marrying adult men several times their age.

Once married, the course of a survivor's life changes forever. Girls who marry as minors are 3 times as likely to have at least 5 children and 50% more likely to face intimate partner violence and drop out of high school. On top of that, 70-80% of child marriages end in divorce.

We can be the generation to end this horrific institution—sign your name now to show your support for ending child marriage!