Kathy Selvaggio is Senior Policy Advocate for the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW).

The media images and descriptions of young girls being wed to much older men in places such as Afghanistan, India and Ethiopia have captured the public mind in recent months. These reports tell the story of young girls being sold off, often for a modest bride price, to a life of poverty, social isolation, early and frequent childbearing -- even domestic violence and early death due to higher risks of maternal mortality or HIV/AIDS. The New York Times, National Public Radio, Wall Street Journal, Glamour magazine, and mainstream America get the urgency of eradicating child marriage. But most U.S. policymakers are not reacting. Why?

You would think child marriage would be a nonpartisan issue that would rally support even in Washington, D.C.'s current partisan environment. But the going has been slow and hard. After more than two years in the making, Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) introduced the "Child Marriage Prevention and Protection Act" this past July, with Senators Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and Hillary Clinton (D-NY). Rep. Betty McCollum (D-CA) is ready to introduce a counterpart bill in the House.

The bill also has a handful of strong supporters in the Office for International Women's Issues in the State Department, as well as in USAID. But where is everyone else?

True, marriage under age of 18 is still sanctioned in nearly all U.S. states with parental consent, in some states as young as 12 or 13 (Massachusetts and New Hampshire) - a disturbing fact that might give some Members of Congress pause. Congressional inattention to international human rights, women's and development issues is no surprise, especially in the months leading up to elections, which are hotly contested this year. And neither is an absence of bipartisan cooperation.

Some of the lackluster response might simply be due to low level of awareness about child marriage among Members of Congress. And even if they are made aware of the problem, some revert to the age-old response that we cannot interfere with other nation's cultural traditions.

Still, encouraging girls to delay marriage until after age 18 (thus preventing them from closing off options for their futures) and supporting the more than 50 million girls worldwide who are already married should not be especially controversial. Many of us have had adolescent daughters at one time or another. Marriage, early pregnancy, domestic violence, and maternal mortality are the last things we'd want for them or for other girls worldwide.

Which is why we are eager to get a broad base of support for the legislation. The bill calls upon the U.S. State Department and USAID to develop a comprehensive strategy to address child marriage within their existing development programs. It also requires that the U.S. State Department regularly report on child marriage in its annual Human Rights Report.

We hope that more organizations will endorse the bill and that people will call upon their Senators to cosponsor it. We also hope to find a Republican champion in the U.S. House of Representatives to join Rep. Betty McCollum in introducing a counterpart bill in the House. In short, this bill needs all the help it can get!

To endorse the bill, or to otherwise get involved in the efforts, feel free to contact me at kselvaggio@icrw.org.

Editor's note: For more information on child marriage, check out Adrienne Germain's post.