Unchained At Last, a national advocacy group that advocates for ending child marriage and lobbied for the New York bill, said five other states have passed similar laws banning all marriage before age 18: Delaware, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.Ī majority of states allow 16- and 17-year-olds to marry, a few allow 14-year-olds, and about a dozen have no minimum marriage age, according to the Tahirih Justice Center, an advocacy group for people fleeing violence.
Child marriage happens in America through various legal loopholes and exceptions at the state level, which is where marriage licenses are issued, experts say.