From Krysta Bisnauth, Freedom United

“I didn’t understand what I was saying when I repeated the marriage vows he fed me. I just knew someone older than me was telling me I had to marry him, so I did as he asked.” — Dr. Tamara MC [1] 

On this International Day of the Girl Child, I want to share the story of Dr. Tamara MC, a forced child marriage survivor. At just 12 years old, she was coerced into marriage by the son of her father’s new religious leader in Texas. Tamara didn’t even understand the words she repeated when she was forced to say her vows—she only knew she had to obey.  No child should ever be in this situation. Yet in the U.S., there is no national law banning child marriage, and children—particularly girls—remain vulnerable to coercion and exploitation.   You can help change that.

Take action

Tamara’s story started when she was sent to live with the religious leader over her summer holiday. Within a week, the leader’s son began sneaking into her room. One night, he told her they couldn’t have intimate relations without being married and coerced her into a marriage contract.   As Tamara said, “As a child you cannot make a choice that is informed about relationships, nor do you have the ability or strength to advocate for yourself and say ‘no’.”  We are fighting to make child marriage illegal in the U.S.—with no exceptions. Will you join us?

Add your voice

Despite no national ban, thirteen states have now passed laws to eliminate child marriage without exceptions and we need to keep up this momentum. We campaigned successfully for the same cause in England and Wales.[2] It is past time for the U.S. to act.   This year’s Day of the Girl Child’s theme is “Girls’ Vision for the Future”. Girls like Tamara deserve the right to build their future without the threat of forced marriage hanging over them.   Legal protection would empower them to resist coercion, while making it clear that coercing a child into marriage is a crime. Almost 300,000 children were married in the United States [3] between 2000 and 2018. This must stop.

Protect girls like Tamara

For Tamara, learning about organizations dedicated to ending forced labor and child marriage in the United States helped her understand and unpack what had happened to her, connect with other survivors and find a path to a new life.   So, we know that we’re making a difference. And you can too.   Add your voice to the movement today—children should never be forced to marry, no matter where they live or what the circumstances, no exceptions.

In solidarity,Krysta and the team that supports the Freedom United community

Krysta Bisnauth Advocacy Manager, Freedom United

[1] https://humantraffickingsearch.org/the-power-of-words-and-community-a-child-bride-and-forced-labor-survivor-story/ 

[2] https://www.freedomunited.org/our-impact/uk-bans-child-marriage/

[3] https://www.jahonline.org/article/S1054-139X(21)00341-4/fulltext