R. Kelly, a famous R&B artist with an infamous character, was found guilty of racketeering and child sex trafficking on Sept. 27, 2021. Many thought this verdict was long-coming, especially since it had been uncovered that he had married Aaliyah, a fellow artist, when she was only 15 years old. He has continued to commit many heinous acts since then, yet his marriage to a minor remains one of the most well-known ones. What many people don’t know, though, is that child marriages like R. Kelly’s to Aaliyah are actually much more common than you’d think.

Believe it or not, child marriage, specifically defined as a union where one spouse is under the age of 18, is actually still legal in the United States. Federally, no bill has been passed outlawing it, and it is legal under state legislation in 44 states. In these states, minors can get married to people their age, and often much, much older, just as long as they have parental and judicial consent. Many states passed laws that instate minimum age requirements of 16 and some are as low as 14, while others have no age requirement at all. This means that in these states, any child of any age could be married if a parent and judge allow it.

As a result, there are many shocking statistics surrounding child marriages in the US. Between 2000 and 2018, nearly 300,000 minors were married, completely legally, and yes, some of those marraiges happened in Missouri.

Missouri is unfortunately not one of the states that has banned child marriage. 8,007 child marriages happened in Missouri between 2000 and 2018. As of right now, 16 is the minimum age of marriage in Missouri, and those under the age of 18 need parental consent. One good thing about Missouri’s marriage laws is that no one over the age of 21 can get married to anyone under the age of 18. This is definitely a plus, however, it still means that adults are able to marry minors in the Show-Me State.

So child marriage is a thing. Why should you care? Well, it can be a very precarious and possibly even dangerous situation for the minor involved. In most states, citizens cannot perform many actions legally until they are 18. This means that once a minor is in a marriage, they are stuck, as they are not able to file for a divorce until they come of age. It is also a criminal offense for a minor to leave home before they are legal adults. So, if a minor would be in an abusive situation, they would have no way of escaping, whether that be physically or legally.

Every child deserves to live their childhood to its fullest, and no one should be stuck in a marriage they don’t wish to be in. If you are interested in learning more about ending child marriage in the United States, you can find resources here.