Child marriage is a pressing issue that affects many young individuals, particularly girls. In California, there are no minimum age requirements for marriage with parental consent and judicial approval. This loophole allows child marriages to persist, often leading to negative consequences such as higher rates of poverty, mental health disorders, and domestic violence. It's time for California to join the states that have set 18 as the absolute minimum age for marriage. We must protect our children from these harmful practices and ensure their right to education and a safe childhood is upheld. Let's urge the State of California Legislature to end child marriage without exceptions. Please sign this petition today!

Here are some facts about this pressing issue:

-Over 200,000 minors, 87% girls, were married in the United States between 2000 and 2015 (Tsui & Amico, 2018)​
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-Increase risk of physical, sexual, & emotional abuse, exploitation, and isolation (Karaspan & Shah, 2019)​
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-Increased risk of pregnancy and childbirth complications (Karaspan & Shah, 2019) ​
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-Increased interruption/end of education which has lifelong and intergenerational impacts on women's’ earning potential/financial independence  (Arthur et al., 2018)

These are the facts about Child Marriage in the State of California: 

-Marriage can transpire at any age with parental consent and court order (sdcourt.ca.gov)​

-California has the 7th highest rate of child marriage in the country​

-The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 10,365 minors aged 15 to 17 in California are currently in child marriages as of 2018, a rate of nearly 7 children per thousand.