All articles tagged with #child marriage
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 1267 on Sept. 30, 2026, banning marriage for anyone under 18 in California. The law takes effect Jan. 1, 2027, making the state the 18th to impose an absolute ban since 2018. Previously, minors could marry with parental and judicial consent. Survivors and advocates called it a victory, while the ACLU opposed it, and 32 other states still allow child marriage.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1267 on September 30, 2026, setting 18 as the minimum age for marriage and domestic partnerships in California. The law takes effect on January 1, 2027, ending a practice that previously allowed minors to wed with parental and judicial consent. California becomes the 18th state to ban child marriage since 2018, though 32 states still allow it under various conditions. Advocates and survivors, including Courtney Stodden, hailed the move as a critical victory against systemic abuse, while noting that full protection remains elusive in other jurisdictions.
Courtney Stodden thanked Seinfeld alum Jason Alexander for an apology and a $15,000 donation to Unchained At Last tied to a 2012 'Funny or Die' sketch in which she was 17. She said accountability can spark real change and urged support for anti-child marriage efforts, including backing California AB 1267, while Alexander expressed regret and a rep for him did not immediately respond.
Jason Alexander apologized for a 2012 sketch in which his character groped Courtney Stodden while she was a minor, and TMZ reports he donated about $15,000 to Unchained At Last to support the anti-child-marriage cause; Alexander’s rep confirmed the donation but wouldn’t comment on the amount. Stodden, who has since become an advocate for banning marriage under 18, welcomed accountability and highlighted ongoing efforts like California AB 1267.
Jason Alexander apologized for the 2012 sketch in which he touched Courtney Stodden when she was a minor, and Stodden says the public apology is a step but hopes he backs AB 1267 to raise California’s minimum marriage age to 18. She’s working with Unchained at Last to end child marriage, recounting past exploitation and urging broader reforms, as she and survivors plan Capitol advocacy next month and continue her memoir and potential docuseries.
After Jason Alexander apologized for a 2012 sketch that involved a then-17-year-old Courtney Stodden, she urged him to publicly support California’s AB 1267 to end child marriage and even donate to Unchained at Last, saying adults must be accountable and that minors deserve protection—recalling that she was married at 16 to a much older man and highlighting the need for stronger laws with no exceptions.
Jason Alexander publicly apologized for a 2012 sketch in which he touched a minor Courtney Stodden; she says the apology is a first step but she’s pushing for concrete change, including supporting California AB 1267 to raise the minimum marriage age to 18 and continuing advocacy with Unchained at Last, while pursuing a memoir and docuseries to prevent future harm to minors.
Jason Alexander apologized for a 2012 Funny or Die sketch in which he rubbed a phone on a 17-year-old Courtney Stodden’s chest, calling the act inappropriate. Stodden welcomed the apology and has long advocated against child marriage; the piece notes her marriage to Doug Hutchison at 16 and their subsequent divorce. Alexander’s regret follows Stodden’s public comments and calls to support ending child marriage, including potential action with Unchained At Last and AB 1267.
Seinfeld star Jason Alexander apologized to Courtney Stodden for a 2012 Funny or Die sketch in which he rubbed a cellphone on her breasts while she was 17; Stodden has since become an advocate against child marriage, and Alexander said he truly regrets his actions.
The Taliban published a 31-article decree, approved by Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and issued in the regime’s gazette, that formalizes child marriages in Afghanistan. It sets rules around “virgin girls,” grants fathers and grandfathers power to arrange or dissolve marriages under strict conditions, and allows marriages for girls younger than 18 with Taliban court oversight. Critics describe the move as gender apartheid and a grave threat to girls’ safety, with poverty-driven arrangements already occurring and Western observers warning it contradicts basic rights and protections for women and children.
Iraq has legalized child marriage under the Ja'fari law, leading to a surge in bridal markets and black market sales of young girls, with human rights organizations warning of exploitation and abuse, including underage girls being sold and married without consent.
Colombia's congress has voted to raise the minimum marriage age to 18, eliminating the current law that allows minors as young as 14 to marry with parental consent. This legislative change, which awaits President Gustavo Petro's approval, aims to protect minors from forced marriages and ensure their rights and development opportunities. The initiative, under the slogan "they're girls, not wives," addresses the global issue of child marriage, which affects 12 million girls annually, though rates have been declining according to UNICEF.
A proposed law in Iraq, backed by Shia groups, seeks to lower the age of consent for girls from 18 to 9, effectively legalizing child marriage and sparking widespread protests. The law, which allows religious authorities to conduct marriages, has faced strong opposition from women's rights activists and some female MPs, who argue it would severely undermine women's rights and legalize child rape. Despite protests and efforts to block the law, male-dominated political support has pushed it closer to approval, raising concerns about the future of women's rights in Iraq.
Iraq's parliament, dominated by Shia conservative groups, is considering a controversial amendment to lower the legal age of consent to nine, allowing men to marry young girls. This proposed change to the personal status law has sparked protests and criticism from women's rights activists, who argue it would legalize child rape and strip women of rights to divorce, child custody, and inheritance. Despite previous failed attempts to pass similar laws, the current Shia majority in parliament poses a significant challenge to opponents of the bill.
Samira Sabzian, an Iranian woman who had been convicted of murdering her husband, whom she had married as a child, was executed in Iran. Sabzian, who had spent the last decade in prison, was hanged at dawn in Ghezel Hesar prison. She had entered into marriage at the age of 15 and had suffered from domestic violence.