Epstein Files Reminder: USA has a child marriage epidemic—it's even worse than you think
Despite more than 300,000 documented child marriages since 2000, Republicans are fighting to keep it that way
The Epstein files revelations become more horrifying with each new piece of information released. Similarly, a new Times piece reports that former Congressman Matt Gaetz raped a homeless 17-year-old child, luring her in by paying for her braces. In South Carolina, Judge James B. Gosnell, Jr—who called on the families of the victims of Dylann Roof to forgive Roof—has himself been removed from the bench due to possession of child pornography. And in Oklahoma, Judge Susan Worthington let a man named Jesse Butler walk with no prison—despite video evidence of him raping two teen girls over a period of several months, and nearly choking them to death.
The first purpose of this article is to document how these cases of abuse are not isolated, but part of the systemic abuse children face in 2025 America. The second purpose of this article is to provide meaningful steps we must take to stop this abuse.
To this day in 2025, thousands of children are forced into child marriage in the United States—and Republicans seem to want to keep it that way. With several thousand documented child marriages every single year—some involving as children as young as 10—we need need legislative solutions and penalties for those who exploit children. Let’s Address This.
How Widespread Is Child Marriage in America?
Despite widespread condemnation and international treaties against it, child marriage continues in the United States unabated. As reported in numerous outlets including the Washington Post and The Independent:
At least 207,468 minors married in the US between 2000 and 2015, according to data compiled by Unchained At Last, a group campaigning to abolish child marriage, and investigative documentary series Frontline. The true figure is likely to be much higher because 10 states provided no or incomplete statistics.
The youngest wedded were three 10-year-old girls in Tennessee who married men aged 24, 25 and 31 in 2001. The youngest groom was an 11-year-old who married a 27-year-old woman in the same state in 2006. Children as young as 12 were granted marriage licenses in Alaska, Louisiana and South Carolina, while 11 other states allowed 13-year-olds to wed. More than 1,000 children aged 14 or under were granted marriage licenses.
And the problem persists. Unchained At Last conducted another study in 2021 and found more than 300,000 documented cases of child marriage, as reported by Rolling Stone:
A 2021 study by the advocacy group Unchained at Last found that 300,000 minors were married between 2000 and 2018 in the United States. According to the group, 60,000 of those marriages involved an age difference that would have otherwise been considered a sex crime.
Remember, this is yet incomplete data as 10 states do not adequately report this data. But there’s yet another element of horror to this situation. In many states, children who are married cannot divorce—making child marriage a daunting one way ticket. As divorce lawyer Nancy Zalusky Berg explains:
A minor can’t file for a divorce because they’re not considered old enough to do it. That’s because marriage is considered a contract, and most laws stipulate that only adults can enter into contracts. So, if a minor wants to change their marriage contract, they need an adult to help them do it.
Who Is Perpetuating This Injustice?
While child marriage is a nationwide problem, Republican states lead the way. Nine of the top 10 states with leading rates of child marriage are GOP run states, as follows:
1. Nevada (0.671%)
2. Idaho (0.338%)
3. Arkansas (0.295%)
4. Kentucky (0.262%)
5. Oklahoma (0.229%)
6. Wyoming (0.227%)
7. Utah (0.208%)
8. Alabama (0.195%)
9. West Virginia (0.193%)
10. Mississippi (0.182%)
This epidemic persists under the radar, often defended and protected by lawmakers, particularly within the Republican Party, who cite tradition, religion, and a shocking misinterpretation of maturity and readiness. The latest absurd argument is that child marriage is better than abortion—notwithstanding that states that ban abortion also suffer at least a 24% increase in maternal mortality and have the highest rate of infant mortality as well.
West Virginia and Wyoming Republicans have also launched efforts to protect child marriage. And in New Hampshire, as recently as 2018, child marriage was legal for girls as young as 13 and boys as young as 14. This is particularly concerning because about 86% of child marriages are of young girls to male adults. Worse, efforts to ban child marriage in New Hampshire faced opposition from legislators when 174 Republicans voted against a bill to ban child marriage. One Republican lawmaker, State Representative Jess Edwards, described teen girls as “ripe and fertile”—utterly indefensible and horrifying remarks.
Missouri told a similar story, where Republicans tried for years to block attempts to raise the marriage age by arguing for “parental rights and traditional values.” As reported by the Missouri Independent:
The current law allows children aged 16 and 17 to marry with parental consent and younger children to marry with a judge’s approval. Until the legislature voted to raise the minimum marriage age to 16 in 2018, Missouri had among the most lenient child marriage laws in the nation — making it an especially popular state for 15-year-olds to travel to be married. Despite the 2018 change, Missouri law still does not align with international human rights standards, which set the minimum age at 18. [A]round 70 minors every year are entered into marriage in Missouri.
Finally, in July of 2025, Missouri banned child marriage once and for all. And the fact is, this hypocrisy extends beyond child marriage. The Republican Party, which often claims to champion the protection of children, also supports policies that endanger and undermine the well-being of minors. They are proponents of child labor laws, opponents of free school lunches for children, adversaries of the child tax credit, and critics of Medicaid expansion, which disproportionately benefits low-income children. I made this point in a viral tweet, its virality indicating that many people see this hypocrisy for the cruel reality that it is.
Doesn’t International Law Ban Child Marriage?
Surely international laws ban child marriage, right? Well, it’s sort of a good news/bad news situation.
The good news is yes, several international laws and treaties ban child marriage. For example, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) calls for action to specify a minimum marriage age of 18. Therefore, any U.S. state law which forces minors into marriage is a de facto violation of CEDAW.
The tragic bad news is that while 186 of 193 countries have ratified the CEDAW treaty, the United States shamefully remains as one of only seven countries that has to date refused to ratify it. The United States joins Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Nauru, Palau, and Tonga on this indefensible list. Therefore, CEDAW does not apply in the United States. Meanwhile, no Federal legislation exists to ban child marriage in the United States.
What Are The Solutions To This Injustice?
We need bipartisan unity to stop this injustice. Because all of the above notwithstanding, Democrats aren’t off the hook either, and must do better. As documented by UNICEF, only Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Virginia, and New Hampshire just recently in 2024, have banned child marriage under the age of 18. That leaves 37 states where child marriage is still legal and recognized. It’s long past time for change. Children forced into child marriages are often helpless, but we as adults, are not.
So what can you do as an adult?
We are not helpless, and we need to stand up for children who are. Here are four things each of us can do:
The leading organization to help pass bans on child marriage is Unchained At Last. Visit their website, sign up for their newsletter, and if you can, contribute to their cause. Follow through on their calls to action.
Call upon your state lawmakers to end this harmful practice and align with modern standards of human rights and dignity. We can do so by pressuring state lawmakers to ban child marriage on the state level, in every state.
Pressure federal lawmakers to pass federal legislation banning child marriage and let the Supremacy Clause quash all child marriage laws. That will immediately grant children the power of federal law to protect them from this systemic abuse.
Demand the White House and Congress to ratify CEDAW and bring the United States up to speed with the vast majority of humanity.
Conclusion
The DOJ estimates that Epstein and his fellow child abusers trafficked at least 200 children. Meanwhile, experts estimate that in 2025, roughly 2600 minors were forced into a child marriage in the United States. That’s some 50 minors every week, or about seven per day, every single day of the year. And unless we act immediately, that trend is expected to continue in 2026. That number must come down to zero.
Therefore, as the Epstein saga plays out, I encourage each of my readers to seek justices for the hundreds of Epstein victims, and likewise, utilize the heightened media attention on the abuse of children into meaningful protections for children. It is critical we continue to speak up, create more awareness, and bring about this life saving change for children’s rights in the United States.
I will continue to speak out on these injustices and report on these atrocities, even as corporate media remains silent. I welcome your support below to help foster more dialogue, education, and meaningful calls to action to fight back against this horrific, systemic, and preventable abuse of our children.
As a homeless woman, I speak firsthand when I say that men view my vulnerability as a way to take advantage of me or an 'in' for them to have access to my body.
It's disgusting - disheartening - and so so so frustrating !
I've lost track of how many men, including people I grew up with, have offered me money with conditions (like, only willing to help if I accept cash in person or straight up asking for sexual favors if I accepted their help).
When you're trying so hard to regain stability, it's not at all helpful to have false hope for help or for any distraction/delay from working on getting needs met.
And why isn’t anyone tying Trump to the Epstein crimes by his payoff appointment of Alex Acosta once Acosta had gotten Epstein the sweetheart deal? That would go a long way to changing the point of view for people to see underage as taboo.