[cheers and applause] this is "nightline." tonight, a schoolgirl turned child bride. >> my aunt got on the bus and said get off the bus, you're going to get married today. >> forced to get married, the 15-year-old bride wore pants and a hoodie. legal in almost every state, inside this year-long abc news investigation. a childhood lost. giving birth at just 10 years old, forced to marry at a tender age. >> i was 11 years of age, and he was 20. >> now fighting to change the law of the land. vows. pregnant and married at just 16, vowing to live her best life for

her husband and her son. >> i think that there's no limitation for lodge. no age limitation. nothing. "nightline," the child bride next door will be right back.

this special edition of "nightline," the child bride next door continues. gloria rivera reporting.

♪ >> reporter: they're portrayed as modern day romeos and juliettes, young, star-crossed lovers. in dramas like "the secret life of the american teenager." >> i now pronounce you man and wife. >> reporter: and reality shows like "say yes to the dress." >> i'm 17. >> excuse me? like a one and a seven? >> yes. >> wow! >> reporter: but for hundreds of thousands of young girls across america, their weddings a far cry from happily ever after. >> my aunt got on the bus and said get off the bus, you're going to get married today. >> i was 11 years of age when we got married. and he was 20. >> reporter: child marriage, an issue many can't imagine exists in american neighborhoods. >> there's no place in civilized society for the early or forced marriage of children. >> end child marriage now! >> reporter: butve cg instigatie

traveled from the east coast to the mountainous west to the heartland, uncovering america's child we're here in steele, missouri, a small, rural town, and we're about to meet ashley, who got married at 15. for ashley duncan, a freshman in high school, what started as a typical school day ended with her becoming a wife. >> my aunt, she got on the bus not long after i did and said come on, get off the bus, you're going to go get married. >> reporter: after discovering she was pregnant, ashley believed marrying her 18-year-old boyfriend was her only option. did anyone ask you anything at the courthouse? did they take you aside to say, are you sure you want to do this? >> no. >> reporter: no one.

what do you remember feeling at that point? >> i was scared, but at the time, i was told and believed, since he was 18 or older, he would go to jail because i was pregnant. >> reporter: did you understand at the time, at age 15, what getting married meant? >> no. i don't realize how big of a commitment i was making. >> reporter: what did you dream about when you dreamed about your wedding? >> my dress. i always wanted to be different and a traditional wedding is the bride wears white and the husband wears like black tuxedo or something, and i wanted to wear a black dress and i wanted the men to wear white. >> reporter: on that actual day, do you remember what you were wearing? >> um i think i was wearing just regular pants i wear every day and my hoodie. because it was cold. >> reporter: not the dress you dreamed about. >> no. not at all. >> reporter: alarmingly, the

numbers show that ashley's story is far from unique. a report by the justice center revealed that between 2000 and 2015, over 200,000 children were married in america. and it's perfectly legal. almost every state in america allow the child marriage with exceptions. many require either the approval of a clerk or judge and/or a parent or legal guardian. and in 13 states there is no minimum age to wed. what was it like going back to school? >> it was hard. >> reporter: yeah. >> i wasn't the same going back as it was the day bus. >> reporter: in one day. >> yeah. >> reporter: it changed. >> everything changed. it wasn't me anymore. ly i had a whole different last name. the teachers were confused. kids were picking on me, and i was too young to be married. >> reporter: when you went to asey

>> tidwell. >> reporter: and in one day, you go back to school and you took his name. so now are you ashley? >> it's crazy to think that out here there was actually so many kids grew up out here. >> reporter: soon enough, ashley would drop out of school, after two years of marriage and the birth of her second child, she and her husband would separate, even though ashley and her husband were both teens, the vast majority of marriages occur between an adult man and younger girl. some of them as young as 11. like sherry johnson, now 59 years old. >> this is that 11-year-old girl that got married. this is the dress that my mom made. >> reporter: you look back at that photo, what do you think? >> it shouldn't have happened. i think that this shouldn't be. >> reporter: at age 11, before she was even a teenager, sherry

married a man age. >> we got married. that night after church. nobody said anything. i knew i was a child. i know i was 11. i knew he was 20. so i knew something was wrong then. and i was really totally surprised that they allowed it to happen. >> reporter: she says she was forced into the responsibilities of marriage by her mother. her husband, a deacon in the church had statutorily raped her prior to their marriage. >> i was being raped by people with authority. i didn't know what was actually really happening. i just know that something wasn't right about it. >> reporter: she had already given birth to their first child at just 10. soon, she was pregnant again. >> i remember going to school at the time in the fifth grade and coming home and had to wash diapers out in the tub. >> reporter: like so many child brides, she dropped out of

school. over their seven years of marriage, she would have six children, finally leaving her husband when she turned 17 and later divorcing him. >> ms. johnson is the reason for this bill. she is the voice for this bill. >> reporter: now she's on a mission, fighting to end child marriage in florida. >> ms. johnson was raped at a very young age by her deacon at church. and, when it was found out that she was pregnant, her parent, her parents did the unthinkable. they forced her to marry the man who impregnated her as a child. >> reporter: her story read into the record last year just before lawmakers passed a bill meant to protect her. >> by your vote the bill passes. [ applause ] >> there is obvious potential for abuse and exploitation. a whole host of horrors to lurk behind a marriage license that

involves a child. >> reporter: jenny smoot, an advocate with the tahuri justice center says the abuse rate is three times higher. in many states, it can be used as a loophole, allowing men to skirt statutory charges. >> you put all of this together and you've effectively road mapped a way that predators can find a work around through a marriage to gain sexual access to young girls that would otherwise be prohibited. >> reporter: to what extent do you see this happening in our country today? >> some of the amazing survivor advocates who have come forward and are helping to lead this campaign forward, their stories are heartbreaking. they really do involve young girls, twice older men taking advantage of the vulnerabilities of an abusive or broken home, preying on them, grooming them.

>> reporter: that harsh reality prompting some to action, like reese. from the very blue state of commute to the step of the capital in new jersey. >> now's the time to pass the bill! >> reporter: reese is the head of the non-profit, unchained at last. much of her battle is to convince legislators and the public that it is an issue needing attention. >> are we okay with child marriage being legal right here in new jersey? >> no! >> this is frayedy. >> reporter: this is a personal crusade. the location of her office hidden, a secret to keep those trying to escape safe. most of the time, legally, there's nothing she request can help. >> whethn a child reaches out t us, there's almost nothing we can do to help her. we can be charged with

kidnapping if we help her to leave home. >> reporter: how does that make you feel that there's almost nothing you can do? >> it's heartbreaking. i started this organization to help people. and i said call me, i'm going to help you. i didn't realize when you're not 18 i cannot help you. when these girls call and they end up in the hospital because they tried to kill themselves or they stop calling, and i understand that they've given up and decided to go along with the marriage, it's heartbreaking. that is why i said i'm not going to accept this. >> reporter: when we come back, the fight to end child marriage continues, and we meet a child bride who stands by her decision to marry young. there are a lot of lawmakers who think they're presenting young girls. >> i think there's no limitation for love. >> reporter: stay with us. this is amazing. with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis, are you okay? even when i was there, i never knew when my symptoms would keep us apart.

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"nightline," the child bride next door continues. >> reporter: for the past year we've been traveling across america, uncovering the hidden truths of this nation's child brides. young girls married off before they could even drove or vote. some legislations standing by current policy. but there are some teens who stand by their own decision to wed, saying that for them this is happily ever after. we've come to wyoming, it is snowing, the middle of may. second surprise is the high school program is teaching kids thousand have healthy marriages, not the typical thing you'd find at a high school. but this isn't your typical curriculum either. how do you de-escalate a

situation? here at triumph, teachers like dr. michelle aldridge build their courses around very real issues, co-parenting, domestic abuse. >> you can take care of that not in front of the child. >> reporter: when you see these young women say we're going to get married, what's the first piece of advice you have for them? >> my first piece of advice is always tell me why this is the one? why is this the one? is it because it's a way out? a way to get away from your home life or your parents? is it because you are just madly in love? >> reporter: in class, we meet abby gillis, at the age of 16 she found out she was pregnant by her 20 year old boyfriend. why was it important to get married? >> for me, i would rather be married when i had a baby because i knew i was going to be married regardless. >> we've been best friends for quite some time. we met at roller city back in

the day. >> reporter: it will be one year in june that you've been married. how is married life? >> it has its challenges, ups and downs, but we seem to work through it together. >> reporter: but her marriage was i by choice. no one forced her into it. not everyone was thrilled about abby becoming a teen bride. on her wedding day, abby's mom tells us there why tears. >> nobody wants to see their 16-year-old get married. so i cried. and i had a whole lot of emotions that day. i wasn't sure if she was mature enough to handle all of the things that come with marriage and children and everything. >> reporter: but her mom says that to her surprise she's seen a noticeable change in her daughter post marriage. >> abby was kind of my terrible dean ag teenaged daughter. then after she got married and had the baby, abby was actually on the honor roll. her dad and i went to the parent

teacher conferences and every one of her teachers said i can't believe how mature abby is. and we both looked at each other and said are they talking about our kid? >> reporter: as a 17-year-old teenage where he a child of her own, abby admits she's had to grow up fast but is committed to making the best life she can for her son. >> i don't think, had i not gotten pregnant i think my life would be a lot different now. >> reporter: but abby has better odds than most child brides. she's working hard to graduate from high school. marriage at 16 you would seixas been absolutely the right choice? >> definitely. >> reporter: what would you say to other girls? >> i look at you, you're a girl, a high school girl, and you're married. >> to other girls, i think that want to get married, if they want to get married young or even if they're dating somebody, don't let them put you down. >> reporter: don't let them put you down. you say stand up if you are young and want to get married.

>> always, yes, i strongly, strongly. >> reporter: but you needed your parents' consent to get married. >> right. >> reporter: if the law changes and even if parental consent doesn't make a difference, what would you do? >> i think i would be more disappointed our judicial system for making that a law. >> reporter: there are a lot of lawmakers out there who think they'll be protecting young girls if they change the marriage age to 18. >> i knew. >> reporter: no limitation to love? >> never. >> reporter: no age limitation. >> never. >> reporter: but many caution against that logic. >> some say there shouldn't be an age limit on love if you're 16 or 17 and you're in love with your 18 year old boy friend, why shouldn't you be allowed to get married? nobody's putting an age limit on love, we're putting an age limit on marriage. >> reporter: since we first began reporting this story, thousands of new child brides have been made, ceremonies lasting a few minutes, affecting lives for decades. >> i was actually not the first

one to get married at 15 in this town. there's been plenty, and i wasn't the last one. >> reporter: you think the law should change to better protect young women? >> yes, i mean, 15, 14, 13-year-olds to get married, it should definitely be harder. >> reporter: as for ashley's aunt who pulled her off the bus to get married, she now regrets the decision and tells us she herself was married at the age of 15 and that she hopes the law will change. do you think shy thought the th was the right thing for you? >> i think she's always not had the best judgment. life got hard for us, for her. not going to go into detail. but i love her. >> reporter: you love her? >> yeah. >> reporter: you're able to say that, even after she was the one that said you're getting marry today? >> yeah, if it wasn't for her, i wouldn't have had a good childhood. >> reporter: ah. >> she took me in. >> reporter: you don't blame her. >> no. she thinks that i blame her, but

i don't. >> reporter: after ashley came forward to share her story, missouri raised the minimum age of marriage from 15 to 16. so if were you able to talk to a young, 15-year-old, 14 year old in your situation, what would you tell her? >> you have a whole life ahead of you. and that's not how you want to do it, and if you're in a relationship that you think is going to last forever, you can at least wait until you're old enough to not have a legal parent or guardian sign your marriage license for you to get married. >> reporter: ashley is now 25. she has two morrisons ae sons a nothing more than though marry her fiance, but because of that wedding years ago, she can't, she doesn't have the money for a divorce. what are your hopes now, when you look at life ahead of you. i wt toe ablent to happen year

am rorter:or can only dream of that wedding, filled with love, driven by a choice she has made for herself. in a country where one day stories of child marriage only exist in history books. >> "nightline," the child bride next door will be right back. i wanted more from my copd medicine... ...that's why i've got the power of 1 2 3 medicines with trelegy. the only fda-approved 3-in-1 copd treatment . ♪trelegy. ♪the power of 1-2-3. ♪trelegy 1-2-3 trelegy. with trelegy and the power of 1 2 3, i'm breathing better. trelegy works 3 ways to... ...open airways,... ...keep them open... ...and reduce inflammation... ...for 24 hours of better breathing. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. trelegy is not for asthma. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush,

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