At the State House Wednesday morning, young women dressed as brides in chains rallied just outside the House chambers to bring attention to legislation that has been reintroduced. The legislation aims to end childhood marriage in Massachusetts, where girls as young as 14 have been married in recent years.
The bill, filed by Rep. Kay Khan and Sen. Harriette Chandler, is a repeat of a bill that fizzled out a couple of years ago.
Organizer Fraidy Reiss, a former child bride who founded the group Unchained at Last, said that in the two years since the first bill was filed, no further progress had been made.
"Well, they let the bill die," Reiss said. "And Rep. Kahn and Sen. Chandler have reintroduced the bill, and this time it's got to pass. And we're here to tell legislators, you can't let this bill die, because girls' lives are at stake.”
At Wednesday's rally at the State House, Reiss said that not being the legal age of 18 leaves young girls especially vulnerable.
“They don't have the basic rights of adulthood," Reiss said as she addressed the rally. "They can't get into a domestic violence shelter if their husband is abusive. They can't get help from Department of Children and Families if their husband is abusive, because DCF will help only if a parent or guardian is abusive. They can't easily retain an attorney. They’re not even allowed to file for divorce.”
Underage marriage in Massachusetts is more common than many might think. Between 2000 and 2016, 1,231 underage girls were married in Massachusetts, some as young as 14, according to state records compiled by Khan’s office.
One such girl was Tammy Monteiro, who told the rally that courts too often do not stop mothers like hers when they ask for an exemption to the 18-year-old limit, creating a huge loophole in the law. With a nod from the probate court in New Bedford, Monteiro was pregnant and married at age 15 to a 25-year-old man who legally could have been charged with statutory rape.
“He walked out of that courthouse with complete custody of me and permission to make me his bride," Monteiro said.
Monteiro said her new husband soon controlled every aspect of her life: what she wore, what she ate, curtailing social contacts, even changing her name and telling her that women are the cause of evil in the world.
At 16, she gave birth to the first of his eight sons.
“I've had to go through years of trying to rebuild my mind and my spirit,” said Monteiro.
But Fraidy Reiss says the new legislation gives reason to be hopeful.
"Rep. Khan and Sen. Chandler have reintroduced the legislation now, and this time, this bill is going to pass, and we're going to make sure of it," Reiss said at Wednesday's rally. "And you know how we're going to do that? We're going to tell legislators around this building, and the governor, and the office down the hall what we think about the bills that are pending now.”
