Yes, child marriage still happens in America

Few people perceive America as being a land where child marriage occurs. But it does.

I did not know what a persistent problem it was until I came upon Sherry Johnson, who was raped repeatedly at 8, had a baby at 10 and was forced to marry one of her rapists at 11. It happened in Florida.

My homeland is India, which leads the world in the number of child marriages every year. My own grandmother was married off at 11, the same age Johnson was when she signed on the dotted line.

I knew about the devastating consequences marriage at such a young age can have and was shocked to learn of women like Sherry.

I spent three days with her in Tallahassee, where she has become an advocate for survivors. She has been telling her story to lawmakers in hopes of increasing support for bills in the Legislature that would effectively end child marriage. If they pass, Florida will become the first state to say no, unequivocally, to marriage for anyone under 18.

Please read my story on CNN. It’s important.