Unchained At Last urges you to be a part of a historic Chain-In to demand that the U.S. stop ignoring the horror of forced marriage.
Join the survivors, activists and supporters who will stand in Union Square wearing chains, with duct tape across their mouths, to show the world what life looks like for the many thousands of girls and women in forced marriages right here in the U.S.
This is a FREE event
Right here in the U.S., girls and women sometimes are forced, pressured or tricked into marriage. A 2011 study by the Tahirih Justice Center found 3,000 known or suspected cases of girls in the U.S. as young as 15 who had been forced to marry just between 2009 and 2011.
Does that shock you? Perhaps that’s because the U.S. has lagged behind other nations in acknowledging and responding to this human rights violation.
Here’s what you can do to help women and girls in the U.S. who are trying to leave or resist forced marriages:
~ Join the Chain-In, and get your friends to do the same.
~ Spread the word about the Chain-In by posting about it on social media using the hashtag #UnchainUnionSquare.
~ Stay updated on news about forced marriage in the U.S. Join the Unchained mailing list HERE, “like” Unchained on Facebook, and follow Unchained on Twitter.
~ Sign the Tahirih Justice Center petition to urge President Obama to end forced marriage in the U.S.
~ Volunteer your time to help a woman or a girl who is facing a forced marriage. Unchained relies on the kindness of pro bono attorneys, psychotherapists and others. Details here.
~ Support Unchained financially by clicking the DONATE NOW button at the top of this page. Even a small donation makes a huge difference to a woman or a girl fleeing a forced marriage.
~ Dress in all black, if possible.
~ Do not bring your own chains. Unchained will provide plastic chains and duct tape.
~ Wearing chains and having your mouth duct taped can be an intense experience. If the experience might trigger a traumatic memory for you, please consult a doctor or therapist about whether and how to join the Chain-In.
~ Remember that the Chain-In is a peaceful protest, in contrast with the violence of forced marriage.
Unchained is the only nonprofit in the U.S. dedicated to helping women and girls leave or avoid arranged/forced marriages. In three years, with an almost all-volunteer staff, Unchained has helped or is helping almost 90 women and girls, and Unchained wrote a bill that was passed into law in New Jersey in 2014.
Questions about the Chain-In? Email info@unchainedatlast.org or call (908) 913-0804.
