Sharmila (Mona) Sinha - Equality Now

Sharmila (Mona) Sinha

Yesterday, September 30, California finally banned child marriage after nearly a decade of advocacy, establishing 18 as the minimum age of marriage with no exceptions.

For nearly a decade, survivors have shared deeply personal experiences to show exactly how the law was failing children. Their leadership, alongside the persistence of Unchained At Last and members of the California Coalition to End Child Marriage, helped turn repeated legislative setbacks into lasting legal change. It’s another example that gains are still being made. That progress for women and girls remains possible and children can regain their childhood, protect their future and not be married.

At Equality Now, we believe that changing the law is one of the most enduring ways to protect rights and transform lives. California shows us why we keep going, even when reform takes longer than it should.

This victory also matters far beyond one state. There is still no federal minimum marriage age in the United States, and child marriage remains legal in 32 states.

California has closed this loophole. Now every child across the United States deserves the same protection.

#EndChildMarriage #GenderEquality #GirlsRights #LegalEquality #California #EqualityNow