Rhode Island Governor McKee signs bill banning child marriage – The Boston Globe

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rhode Island’s governor on Monday signed into law a bill meant to ban child marriage in the state.

Democratic Governor Daniel McKee said the legislation eliminates language in state law allowing youths under the age of 18 to obtain a marriage license with parental consent. He said it’s an effort to “protect children and prevent exploitation.”

Rhode Island law previously allowed 16-year-olds to marry with the permission of their parents or guardians. Younger children could also marry if the family court was notified and conducted a court hearing.

Unchained At Last, a national advocacy group that pushed for the legislation, said four other states have passed similar laws banning all marriage before the age of 18: Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Minnesota.

The New Jersey-based group says some 171 children in Rhode Island entered into marriages between 2000 and 2018 and that 88 percent of them were girls wed to adult men. The group suggested many were likely forced into the unions by their parents without their consent.

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