Reso. No. XX-17
RESOLUTION NO. XX
A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND, CALIFORNIA,
ANNOUNCING ITS COMMITMENT TO END CHILD MARRIAGE BY CALLING FOR
THE CALIFORNIA STATE LEGISLATURE TO ENACT LEGISLATION THAT
OUTLAWS THIS PRACTICE
WHEREAS, each year minors are coerced and forced into marriage in cities across the United States; and
WHEREAS, retrieving marriage certificate data from the 50 states individually and compiling the results reveal that, in an 18-year period between 2000 and 2018, well more than 300,000 minors were married in the United States, mostly girls married to adult men; and
WHEREAS, child marriage, a formal marriage or informal union where one or both parties are under the age of 18, is defined as a human rights abuse by the Department of State, UNICEF, and Human Rights Watch; and
WHEREAS, as a member of the United Nations, the United States adopted the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes a commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, including Goal 5 to "Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls," and specifically target 5.3: "Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation"; and
WHEREAS, the American Medical Association has called for an end to child marriage, stating "Child marriage is associated with higher rates of sexually transmitted infections, early pregnancies, divorce, and intimate partner violence than women married at age 21"; and
WHEREAS, the detrimental effects of child marriage are many, including, but not limited to, an adverse effect on the child’s health, education, and employment opportunities, as proven by UN Women and the World Bank; and
WHEREAS, minors in unwanted or abusive marriages suffer social isolation from their support networks like school, friends, and family, which contributes to their poor mental health; and
WHEREAS, young women and girls ages 16-19 face intimate partner violence victimization rates almost three times the national average; and
WHEREAS, the majority (70%-80%) of child marriages end in divorce; and
WHEREAS, minors who marry early are more likely to "discontinue their formal education prematurely, earn low wages, and live in poverty." Girls who marry early are fifty percent more likely to drop out of high school and four times less likely to graduate from college; and
WHEREAS, a minor’s understanding of their legal rights and access to practical resources to avoid or abandon an unwanted or abusive marriage are far more limited than what adult men and women may have; and
WHEREAS, in the state of California, there is no minimum age to marry and no restrictions on the age differences between the two parties (e.g., between adult men and minor girls); and WHEREAS, in the state of California, limited reporting on child marriage statistics from the majority of counties has hampered the state’s ability to track the prevalence of child marriage; and
WHEREAS, child marriage in the United States is not confined to any religious or cultural group. American children of all backgrounds are at risk in California cities because the law permits marriage before the age of majority; and
WHEREAS, the overwhelming evidence of adverse effects on the minor’s well-being and the remaining risk of abusive relationships with older men calls for an "End Child Marriage Under 18 No Exceptions" law; and
Reso. No. XX-17
WHEREAS, the states of Delaware, New Jersey, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, and Michigan have already passed laws ending child marriage for all minors, without exception; and
WHEREAS, the City of Richmond has determined that it is a moral imperative and undeniably in the best public interest of the City to protect all minors from child marriage;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Richmond as follows:
1. The above recitals are hereby adopted by the City Council of the City of Richmond.
2. The City Council hereby calls on the California State Legislature to introduce and pass legislation to “End Child Marriage Under 18, No Exceptions”.
3. The City Council hereby calls on other California municipalities to pass resolutions showing their commitment to end child marriage.
4. The City Council hereby calls on the Contra Costa County Registrar/Recorder/Clerk to proactively comply with Section 102356 of the California Health and Safety Code by sending aggregated data on all child marriages registered in the county each year to the State Registrar before January 31st of the following year; should there be no child marriages registered in the county, the City Council calls on the County Registrar/Recorder/Clerk to proactively confirm this with the State Registrar. The City Council also calls on the County Registrar/Recorder/Clerk to make statistics on child marriage available to the public upon request, including the total number of child marriages in the county, as well as the ages and genders of the parties to those marriages.
5. The City Council hereby authorizes and directs the City Manager and authorized city personnel to publish on the city’s website educational information regarding opposing the practice of child marriage. Insofar as is necessary, the city manager and city staff shall collaborate with human rights nonprofits and organizations specializing in the aforementioned cause to produce such educational content.
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I certify that the foregoing resolution was passed and adopted by the Council of the City of Richmond at a regular meeting thereof held Insert Date, by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSTENTIONS:
ABSENT:
PAMELA CHRISTIAN
CLERK OF THE CITY OF RICHMOND
(SEAL)
Approved:
Mayor
Reso. No. XX-17
Approved as to form:
City Attorney
State of California }
County of Contra Costa : ss.
City of Richmond }
I certify that the foregoing is a true copy of Resolution No. XX, finally passed and adopted by the Council of the City of Richmond at a regular meeting held on INSERT DATE ADOPTED.
Pamela Christian, Clerk of the City of Richmond