When the Kentucky legislature passed new protections against child marriage into law in 2018, Donna Simmons felt her years of tireless advocacy to prevent other teens from predatory marriages had finally paid off.
But despite the numerous stop guards and requirements implemented seven years ago, young girls across Kentucky are still being issued marriage licenses in violation of the law, said Simmons, who called that knowledge “deflating.”
Now, Simmons is taking the issue back to the legislature, asking for increased accountability and a complete end to marriages for people under 18.
Advocates for ending child marriage say the current law is not being followed by all officials statewide, allowing minors to receive licenses unlawfully. They add that important data around the marriages is not being shared with advocacy groups.
Simmons and other advocates say child marriages can lead to higher rates of domestic violence, rape and suicidality for young brides.
Simmons — who founded the Reclaim Innocence, Stop Exploitation, or R.I.S.E., coalition to end child marriage — said the law needs both amendment and enforcement to save other minors from years of trauma and, often, abuse.
“I was married off when I was 16, and who I now refer to as my perpetrator was 31, and the clerk didn’t even look up from the computer when she said, ‘Which one’s the minor?’” Simmons said. “It was just so impersonal. It just felt like such a transaction. And in that moment, I realized, oh my gosh, I am not going to have any protection, like this official doesn’t care.”
What is Kentucky’s law on child marriage?
Senate Bill 48, championed by Simmons, introduced an age requirement of 17, removed officials’ ability to waive age requirements in the event of a pregnancy and required that all minors seeking a marriage license have a court order; stable housing and employment; a high school diploma or GED; and copies of criminal records for both parties.
The bill also stated courts must decline to issue a marriage license for a person under 18 if the age gap between the couple was greater than four years or if one party was previously in a position of authority over the minor or had any domestic violence orders or sexual abuse convictions.
But that law has not been followed, Simmons said. Even the state’s website on marriage certificates has not been updated to reflect the change in the law, seven years after its passing.
According to data Simmons received from the Office of Vital Statistics, at least eight 16 year olds had been married in Kentucky as of 2024 and several marriages violated the age gap requirement, including one marriage of a 17-year-old to a 27-year-old and one of a 17-year-old to a 29-year-old.
“So obviously these are predatory situations, and judges or clerks, whoever actually authorized that marriage, are not following the law to assess that criteria,” Simmons said. “The other part is that under Kentucky statutes regarding consent, those are relationships minors cannot legally consent to, so now we’re in violation of two laws. It’s just problematic.”
Sen. Julie Raque Adams, who sponsored the 2018 bill, said further legislation is needed in the upcoming 2026 session to hold officials accountable and further protect minors in Kentucky.
“Consistency matters in every county and in every courtroom,” Adams said. “Transparency matters so families and the public can be confident protections are being honored. And support matters for judges, clerks, law enforcement and child protection professionals who are charged with upholding these safeguards every day.”
Elizabeth Martin, CEO of the Center for Women and Families, said she’s confident an amendment would have support in the 2026 session, but she’s frustrated that the current law is not being upheld. She said much of the push for child marriages comes from communities where teen pregnancy and sexual abuse still hold shame.
“There’s still this belief that if somebody gets pregnant out of wedlock, they’re disgraced to the family,” Martin said. “So let’s get them married really fast so nobody notices. There’s still so much shame attached to behaviors, instead of talking about ‘how did we even get here? What’s going on with this person that now she’s pregnant by this 30-year-old man?’”
Marrying under 18 puts minors into a state of legal limbo, where they’re not quite adults but are also unable to receive protections or services aimed at children, advocates added. When trying to escape domestic violence or abuse, married minors may find it difficult to receive help.
“When I was 16, I couldn’t go to a domestic violence shelter,” Simmons said. “I was turned away from the one I tried to go to because I wasn’t yet 18, and it didn’t matter that I was married, because you can say emancipated minor all day long — that doesn’t mean you have enumerated rights as an adult.”
Married minors also face greater risk of domestic violence and sexual abuse.
“They’re not ready to be an adult,” Martin said. “And so what it does is that type of abuse creates long-term trauma. It creates mental health challenges, and we see that every day here at the center, you’ve got long-term trauma that impacts people’s not only mental health, but physical health.”
Tracking child marriages in Kentucky
Although child marriages have dropped since the 2018 law was passed, tracking marriages of minors proves to be difficult, advocates say. Simmons became aware of issues with state data when she requested updated marriage licenses involving minors from 2018 through 2024 from the Office of Vital Statistics.
“It took them so long to even pull the data together, because there were over 2,000 records where they had to go manually look at the marriage licenses because the dates of birth were not entered into the system,” Simmons said.
When she requested county information for marriage licenses issued in violation of the law, she was told that information would not be released. Simmons said keeping information on counties that violate the law private only protects officials, not the children being harmed.
“Closing the door to public data does not protect children. It protects those who break the law,” Simmons said. “If there are counties failing to comply, the people of Kentucky deserve to know who they are. Silence and secrecy are the best friends of abuse. And when our systems fail to protect children, we are not just talking about broken bills. We are talking about broken lives.”
Reach reporter Keely Doll at kdoll@courierjournal.com.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Advocates say law against child marriage not being followed in Kentucky