TENNESSEE- SAY NO to H.B. 233: Protect Our Children:

According to state Rep. Tom Leatherwood, This bill will give Tennesseans "an alternative form of marriage" between individuals who have a "conscientious objection to the current pathway," the bill's Republican sponsor.

If this passes, HB 233 will leave vulnerable girls and boys open to abuse. This bill will be opening a door. Predators and possible child slavery.

This bill says that a child can be married at any age. So that means any child from 1-17 can be married without their consent. 

Child marriage can be referred to as slavery if one or more of the following elements are present:

•  If the child has not genuinely given their free and informed consent to enter the marriage
• If the child is subjected to control and a sense of “ownership” in the marriage itself, particularly through abuse and threats, and is exploited by being forced to undertake domestic chores within the marital home or labor outside it,
• and/or engage in non-consensual sexual relations
• If the child cannot realistically leave or end the marriage, leading potentially to a lifetime of slavery.
• Children are in a weaker position to give free, full, and informed consent to marriage than adults, even if they appear to ‘agree’ or don’t express refusal.

Many children have little or no control over their movements or person within marriage, including over sexual relations. Girls in particular are commonly controlled through violence, threats, and humiliation, as well as experiencing isolation and loneliness.

Children may not realistically be able to leave their marriage. For example, they may not be able to support themselves financially or may fear repercussions from in-laws and the wider community, as well as their own families.

If HS BILL 233 passes it opens the door to statutory rape.

PLEASE SIGN AND SAY NO TO HS BILL 233

Thank you for your support

Founder of anti-trafficking non-profit Free for Life International.

Colette Wise