ADAMS HIGHLIGHTS KENTUCKY’S PROGRESS IN ENDING CHILD MARRIAGE, CALLS FOR STRONGER ENFORCEMENT

FRANKFORT, Ky. (Sept. 4, 2025) —Sen. Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, joined advocates and civic leaders at the Center for Women & Families this morning to highlight Kentucky’s progress in protecting minors from coerced marriage and to call for stronger enforcement of existing safeguards.

In 2018, Adams sponsored Senate Bill 48, which prohibited marriage under age 17, required judicial approval for 17-year-olds, capped spousal age gaps at four years, and eased the process by which a married minor can end a marriage.

The law passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and has significantly reduced child marriages in Kentucky, according to advocate Donna Simmons, who cited data from the Kentucky Office of Vital Statistics. On her Becoming Your Best Version podcast appearance in August, Simmons explained that Kentucky averaged close to 300 child marriages per year before the law changed in 2018. Since then, she said, the number has dropped dramatically to about 20 cases per year.

“That law was about one thing: protecting children,” Adams said. “Before the law, Kentucky averaged hundreds of child marriages every year. Since the law went into effect, that number has dropped to a handful of cases per year. Hundreds of young people are no longer being married off before they are ready. That is progress worth celebrating.”

Kentucky’s high rate of child marriage before 2018 shows the importance of those reforms. Research by the Human Trafficking Research Initiative at the University of Louisville documented 9,913 marriages between 2000 and 2015 that involved at least one minor. Ninety-three percent of those cases paired a minor with an adult, and 91 percent of the adults were men marrying underage girls.

Despite the success of the 2018 reforms, Simmons cautioned that some approvals still fall outside the law’s intent. She noted cases where judges signed off on marriages involving 16-year-olds, or where the age gap exceeded the four-year limit created by the law. Adams emphasized that consistent enforcement and transparency are critical to ensuring the protections legislators established are fully honored statewide.

“Progress does not mean the work is finished,” Adams said. “Reports show there have still been instances where approvals did not align with the law’s intent. Those are reminders that laws on paper are only as strong as their enforcement.”

Adams also tied the issue to Suicide Prevention Month, pointing to research linking early marriage to higher risks of abuse, depression, and suicidality.

“Protecting children from exploitation is suicide prevention,” Adams said. “It gives them safety, dignity, and the chance to grow up without trauma that could follow them for decades.”

Building on her record of leadership in child welfare policy, Adams reaffirmed her commitment to continue working with survivors, advocates, and colleagues to strengthen enforcement where gaps remain and to ensure Kentucky remains a leader in protecting vulnerable youth.

If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 to be connected to immediate help. In addition to the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, survivors of child marriage and other forms of exploitation can access confidential, 24/7 support through Kentucky’s network of regional domestic violence programs and rape crisis centers. These organizations provide shelter, counseling, legal advocacy, and children’s services to help young people escape coercive situations and begin to rebuild their lives. A full list of programs is available at kcadv.org and kasap.org

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Sen. Julie Raque Adams represents the 36th Senate District, which includes a portion of Jefferson County. She is co-chair of the Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Committee. She also co-chairs the Interim Joint Committee (IJC) on Licensing, Occupations, and Administrative Regulations. Additionally, Adams is a member of the IJCs on Banking and Insurance; Health Services; Local Government; and State Government. She serves on the Administrative Regulation Review Subcommittee, a statutory oversight body. In 2024, she served on the Kentucky Housing Task Force, which was established to study barriers to housing development and recommend solutions to support affordability and access across the commonwealth.