Minnesota Congresswoman Betty McCollum is continuing her pursuit of ending forced child marriage in developing countries.  Now, she has introduced a new bill to assist in the crusade.

Via press release:

“Child marriage destroys the lives and futures of thousands of girls every day. The Child Marriage Violates the Human Rights of Girls Act of 2011 is a first step to make the United States a leader in the fight against child marriage.” said Congresswoman McCollum. “This bill will require that federal agencies report on activities that prevent this most basic human rights abuse. It does not matter where in this world she lives; an 11 year old girl should never be anyone’s wife. “

H.R. 3357 declares child marriage to be a human rights abuse, and advocates for the elimination of child marriage as a U.S. foreign policy goal. Delving further into this global challenge, H.R. 3357 requires the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the State Department to collect and publicize data on the prevalence of child marriage and its impact on key U.S. development goals.

Over 25,000 young girls are married every day in countries like Afghanistan, Chad, the Dominican Republic, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Nepal, Nicaragua, Uganda, Zambia, and more.