Part of my work is to dig through the roots of patriarchal oppression, expose it for what it is, and bring light to ways in which we can smash it into oblivion. So, when I hear about stories of girls who are given to their abusers to be married at the age of 13 because they are pregnant - I am outraged (and enraged). Dawn Tyree is a fierce survivor of child marriage and turned her experience into an incredible life’s work. She was not raised in a fanatical cult. Girls being married off to their abuser is happening all over the U.S. every year. 

In this episode, Dawn joined me to talk about her experience. We discuss the problem of child marriage and how we can resolve it. She is an author, activist, and a founding member of The National Coalition to End Child Marriage in the U.S. Her testimony and that of other survivors played a crucial role in ending child marriage in 4 U.S. States. Her experience has been published in multiple major publications around the world. I am honored that she joined me to share her story. 

Show Highlights

• Dawn shares her story of being left in the care of an adult, experiencing sexual abuse at his hands, and being forced to marry him at 13. (8:57)
• The system is set up to let sexual abuse, abandonment, and child marriage happen. (13:13)
• Dawn’s experience of being manipulated into believing that child marriage was the best choice. (15:31)
• How and when Dawn became aware that she was a victim of a sexual predator/abuser, how she began to process those emotions and started to plot her way out. (17:49)
• The story of her divorce and custody proceedings - as a minor. By the way, there is NO minimum age to marry (currently) in the state of CA. But, you have to be 18 years old in order for a divorce to be finalized. (27:26)
• From a parenting perspective, how Dawn spoke to her children about her/their situation. (29:01)
• Why you have to take your children out of an abusive situation and give them the opportunity to see what else there is. (35:19)
• What we can do to help end child marriage in the U.S. (41:32)
• Dawn explains why child marriage is a form of sex trafficking in plain sight. (50:21)

Learn More About Dawn:

Dawn Tyree is an author, activist, and a founding member of The National Coalition to End Child Marriage in the U.S. She is currently working with Global Hope 365 to help end child marriage in California. Her testimony and that of other survivors played a crucial role in ending child marriage in 4 U.S. States. The story of her experience as a child forced into marriage has been published in The New York Times, Reuters, The Sun, DailyMail, The News-Review, WRAL, Freedom United, Portland Metrozine, YES! Magazine, and printed into 12 different languages. Dawn works with multiple organizations and universities across the nation to help educate and offer support in comparative studies (the US and international) on child marriage and human rights abuse issues. Dawn was featured in a two-hour documentary on child marriage in the U.S. as part of the A & E Network docu-series, “I Was a Child Bride: The Untold Story” with Elizabeth Vargas that aired in April 2019. She continues her activism work in tandem with writing her harrowing story of overcoming the toughest of odds. Tyree is enjoying life in the Pacific Northwest Coastal Range.

Resources & Links:

• National Coalition to End Child Marriage 
• Dawn on FacebookDawn on Instagram
• California Coalition to End Child Marriage
• Child Marriage – Shocking StatisticsStudents Against Child Marriage
• A&E’s I Was a Child Bride: The Untold Story

GET HELP: 

National Human Trafficking Hotline: 

1-888-373-7888 

Text: befree to *233733

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