Bill Text: MI HR0058 | 2021-2022 | 101st Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: A resolution to declare March 18, 2021, as Ban Child Marriage Day in the state of Michigan.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 12-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2021-03-18 - Referred To Committee On Families, Children, And Seniors [HR0058 Detail]
Download: Michigan-2021-HR0058-Introduced.html
house resolution no.58
Reps. Hope, Kuppa and Stone offered the following resolution:
A resolution to declare March 18, 2021, as Ban Child Marriage Day in the state of Michigan.
Whereas, The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has classified child marriage as a human rights violation and defined it as any marriage where at least one of the parties is under 18 years of age; and
Whereas, The United Nations Children’s Fund is working to end child marriage worldwide by 2030; and
Whereas, Michigan law currently allows 16- and 17-year-old children to marry with permission from a parent or guardian and children younger than 16 can marry with both parental and judicial approval; and
Whereas, Between 2000 and 2018, at least 5,259 children were married in Michigan alone, some as young as 14. Of those, 83% of the marriages were between girls and adult men; and
Whereas, Young women and girls are often coerced into marrying their rapists or abusers as a way for the family to avoid criminal liability for neglect or assault and the stigma attached to rape, sexual abuse, or non-traditional pregnancy; and
Whereas, Michigan’s lax child marriage laws are rife for abuse, offering cover for human traffickers and opening our state up to the risk of so-called marriage tourism, where non-residents come to Michigan for the purpose of marrying minors; and
Whereas, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota have all recently passed legislation to end all marriage before 18 without exceptions; and
Whereas, Michigan does not have a residency requirement for marriage, so our state could become a destination for child marriages if the practice is not banned soon, and
Whereas, Research has shown that marriage has devastating health effects, social consequences, and economic results for a minor. Not only do most child marriages end in divorce, but married minors are more likely to live in poverty and be victims of domestic violence. Nearly half of all married minors end up dropping out of high school and married minors are four times less likely to finish college. There is also a higher risk of mental health problems and physical illnesses such as diabetes, cancer, and stroke; and
Whereas, House Bills 4226, 4227, and 4229 have been introduced into the Michigan House of Representatives to ban child marriage in Michigan; and
Whereas, March 18, 2021, takes place during the sixty-fifth UN Commission on the Status of Women, which is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women; and
Whereas, It is internationally recognized that the practice of child marriage is a human rights issue that harms the health of children and creates problems that persist for a lifetime; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the members of this legislative body declare March 18, 2021, as Ban Child Marriage Day in the state of Michigan; and be it further
Resolved, That the members of this legislative body encourage all Michiganders to participate in the ongoing efforts to promote the protection of the rights, health, and overall well-being of all children and adolescents.
