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On March 19, 2024, Davinder was in Sacramento with other child marriage survivors at a chain-in organized by Unchained At Last, the only non-profit dedicated to ending child marriage and forced marriage, and as part of a press conference where Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris joined us to discuss "The End Child Marriage Act" which highlighted Assembly Bill 2924, the landmark legislation that should have ended child marriage in California. In 2021, an estimated 8,700 children were married in California. If not for loopholes in California marriage law, the incidents would be classified as sex crimes.
"I'm embarrassed that California, known for its progressive values, remains one of only four states in the nation without a minimum marriage age," said Assemblywoman Petrie-Norris. "Child marriage is a practive that strips children of their autonomy, sexual and reproduction freedom, and forces them into adulthood prematurely. This often results in a life filled with isolation, limited educational opportunies, and exposure to abuse".
AB 2924 should have created the legal protection that supports the rights and futures of our children, something they all deserve and was co-authored by 25 legislators and supported by dozens of organizations and individuals. Unfortunately, it was not heard in the Assembly Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, April 23rd and CA still has not raised the marriage age to 18. Here are some of the pictures taken on March 19th in Sacramento.
