The Secular Education Association (SEA) is proud to announce it has joined the National Coalition to End Child Marriage as an organizational ally, partnering with Unchained At Last and advocates nationwide to advance laws that protect young people and safeguard their education.

“Education is one of the best protections against exploitation,” said Molly Gaines, SEA Co-Founder & Co-CEO. “Child marriage derails education and puts kids at risk. Joining this coalition is part of our mission to defend children’s rights — to keep them in classrooms where they belong, safe and supported, not forced into adult commitments before they’re ready.”

Despite recent progress, child marriage remains legal in the majority of U.S. states. Some 315,000 children were married between 2000 and 2021, and most were girls wed to adult men. At least 66,415 of those marriages occurred at an age or with a spousal age difference that should have been considered a sex crime. Source: Unchained At Last (UnchainedAtLast.org).

SEA’s commitment as a coalition ally includes:

• Supporting legislation that sets 18 as the minimum marriage age — no exceptions;
• Raising awareness among parents, educators, and policymakers about the harms of child marriage on learning, well being, and long-term outcomes;
• Mobilizing volunteers and community partners to back survivor-informed reforms and implementation.

In a country where approximately 90% of children are educated in public schools, allowing child marriage to derail schooling is unacceptable. SEA stands with survivors and partners to keep kids in class and their futures intact.

SEA exists to protect every student’s right to a safe, secular, evidence-based education. Ending child marriage is squarely aligned with that mission: it keeps children in classrooms, safeguards their rights, and preserves their future choices. We’re proud to stand with Unchained At Last and the many survivors and advocates driving this change.

Learn more about Unchained At Last’s work at www.unchainedatlast.org

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The Secular Education Association (SEA) is a national grassroots nonprofit working to protect the integrity of public education by advocating for a secular, inclusive learning environment free from religious influence.