Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, let me start by thanking the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner) for offering this bill and for shining a light on the problem of illegal child marriage, particularly among vulnerable refugee populations. I am grateful for Mrs. Wagner's leadership on an issue that we should all support. It is really important to all get around it. Child marriage, Madam Speaker, deprives young people of their futures and hinders the progress of development work all over the world. UNICEF reports that 12 million girls marry before the age of 18 every single year. What does that mean for these girls? It takes away their right to make vital decisions about their well-being, about their health, their family, their future. Child brides are also less likely to finish their education and are at higher risk for abuse, contracting HIV, and dying while pregnant or giving birth. Refugee populations are particularly vulnerable to child marriage. Poverty, instability, and displacement pressure families into marrying off children, particularly young girls, at an early age. For example, child marriage among Syrian refugees in Jordan increased from 15 percent in 2014 to 36 percent in 2018. One survey of Syrian refugees in Lebanon found that nearly a quarter of girls between 15 and 17 were married. In Bangladesh, Rohingya refugees fleeing violence in Burma have reported marrying off young girls to protect them from sexual violence.…”