HR 3175

Summary: The bill seeks to eliminate international child marriage practices by expanding investments at the local level to empower girls in various aspects of their lives; promoting community understanding about the harmful impact of child marriage; requiring the U.S. government to develop a strategy to prevent child marriage prevention and promote the empowerment of girls. This practice undermines U.S. investments in foreign assistance to improve women's and girls' education, health, economic and legal status. The enactment of this bill will provide $25 million a year for five years to child marriage prevention programs in high incident countries.

What You Should Know: An estimated 51 million girls in the developing world under the age of 18 are married, a figure that is estimated to increase by another 100 million over the next decade if present trends continue. These marriages are in violation of both international human rights standards and often national laws. Child marriage has negative effects on girls' health including significantly increased risk of maternal death and morbidity, infant mortality, obstetric fistula and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS.

Child marriage is most common in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of South Asia, as well as the Middle East. In Ethiopia's Amhara region, about half of all girls are married by age 14, almost never know their husbands before marriage and more than two-thirds have their first sexual initiation within marriage before their first menstrual period.

Primary Sponsors: Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN)

Introduction date: 7/25/2007

Last Major Action: Introduced in the House.