The laws were on his side, even in the end. Because I didn't have the money to hire an attorney. I was now a single mom with two children, really struggling to survive in the Bay Area, and the only thing I wanted was freedom. I just wanted it to be over with. And so eventually I just agreed to his terms.Sara Tasneem
Between 2000 and 2018, nearly 300,000 child marriages occurred in the United States, with California being responsible for more than 20,000 of them. What’s stopping California legislators from banning child marriage?
Sara Tasneem'sconservative Sufi family arranged for her to be married at the age of 15. Hellitz Vilegas is a case worker for the child marriage sector of Tahirih Justice Center, a non-profit focusing on immigrant survivors fleeing gender-based violence.
Tahirih's research shows child marriage causes greater vulnerability to domestic violence, sexual violence, an increase of dropout rates, medical and mental health problems, and an increase in poverty.
Through the Forced Marriage Initiative, Tasneem and Vilegas are among the advocates pushing California legislators to pass laws to protect minors from the abuse of child marriage.
