Denizens of Zophos

Seven states have made it illegal for people younger than 18 to get married, but all other states allow it, sometimes with the permission of a parent, judge or both.

Sam Bateman, an imprisoned polygamous leader in Arizona, allegedly helped orchestrate the escape of eight underage girls he considered to be his wives from foster placement.

NAIROBI, 29 June 2022 – Girls as young as twelve are being forced into child marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) at “alarming rates” in the Horn of Africa, as the most severe drought in forty years pushes families to the edge – warns UNICEF.

Buried deep in the ongoing mess that is the Afghanistan evacuation, another ugly problem is rearing its head: older Afghan men have reportedly been admitted to intake centers with young girls they have claimed as their "brides".

Samuel Bateman often traveled to Nebraska where some of his other followers lived and internationally to Canada and Mexico for conferences.

Currently, child marriage is legal in 44 states in the U.S., and nearly 300,000 children were married between 2000 and 2018 across the country.