The Hill: Ending the cycle of child marriage: The U.S. can and should act now
Sarah Degnan Kambou, president of the International Center for Research on Women, and Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.)

“…Recognizing that child marriage is a barrier to global development, Congress passed and the president signed into law core components of the International Protecting Girls by Preventing Child Marriage Act in the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013. Thanks to this law, for the first time in history, child marriage is a priority concern of U.S. foreign policy. … The United States government can be a strong ally to these communities and countries [trying to end child marriage]. As directed by Congress, the U.S. Department of State is leading an interagency process to develop an Adolescent Girl Strategy. … Once the strategy is released, Congress must fund it and ensure USAID has the resources they need to invest in programs that empower young women and their families…” (10/15).