The Pakistani child bride who helped make child marriage illegal in New York State

A few months ago New York banned early marriage thanks to the activism of some survivors, but 44 states still allow it

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Naila was forced to marry at 13, and has now helped make child marriages illegal in New York. But 44 stars and stripes still allow them

She was only 13 when they arranged her marriage in Pakistan. Although she grew up in New York, she was forced to return to her country to marry a 26-year-old man. The reason? The man had to somehow enter the States and so it was her parents themselves who arranged the wedding with the aim of obtaining the reunification of her husband.

She is Naila Amin, today she is 32 and one law which bears his name which prohibits the practice of child marriages in the state of New York.

Every day people die to come to the US - he says. My family wanted him to come to the United States and marriage was the only way to do it. I was a passport to him.

Read also: In Guatemala, this girl saved child brides and favored a ban on forced marriages

Fortunately, Naila's husband never managed to set foot in the United States, even though the request for family reunification was accepted by the US immigration offices.

I was clearly a little girl. Why have no warning signs been issued? Has anyone who has been involved in this practice look at my age?

Naila's story in the US is not the only one. Her fate is common to several young women from countries like Pakistan who are forced to ask for reunification for their husbands. The States are guilty of mismanagement of practices that allow the entry of thousands of child brides and husbands of underage girls already residing in the country. This was denounced by the same US Senate that published the report "How the US immigration system encourages marriages between minors" released by the "Associated press" agency.

Between 2007 and 2017, the report reads, there were 5.556 cases of adults who applied for a visa for their baby brides and 2.926 minors who tried to complete reunification with older spouses.

The law in New York

Governor Andrew Cuomo has signed a bill increasing the age of marriage consent to 18 in New York. Call "Naila's law“, Came into effect a few months ago.

Il early marriage is when a person under the age of 18 becomes legally married to an adult. Such minors, more likely girls than boys, are often forced to marry due to socioeconomic factors by families who want to minimize their economic burden or earn an income, according to UNICEF. Religious and cultural norms also do not make things easier.

The practice is technically still legal in 44 US states. Most, therefore, still allow marriage before the age of 18.

Fonti: Naila Amin Foundation / NBC / Terre des Hommes / Associated press / UNICEF

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