American Sherri Johnson at the age of 11 forced to marry a 20-year-old guy who raped her.

This is written by the New York Times in the article on marriages with minors in the US.

"When she was a skinny 11-year-old girl, Sherry Johnson learned that she would marry a 20-year-old member of her church who raped her," the newspaper writes..

The woman herself, remembering this story, says that she was forced to take such a step. After the rape, the girl was pregnant, and an investigation was launched against the guy. However, in order to avoid a dirty criminal case, her family and church ministers came to the conclusion that the best way out of the situation would be a wedding of a victim and a rapist.

"My mother asked me if I wanted to get married, and I said:" I do not know what marriage is, how can I act like a wife? "- recalls Johnson many years later.

To this her mother said: "Well, I think you'll just get married".

However, once the wedding was not held, because a civil servant in Tampa, Florida, refused to marry an 11-year-old girl, despite the fact that such a marriage is legal. To marry, the family had to go to the neighboring district, where the clerk allowed the wedding. Journalists note that the marriage license clearly indicates the age of the bride, so you can not say that the officials did not know which marriage they gave permission to.

Later, the marriage of Sherry Johnson, like two thirds of the marriages of underage girls, collapsed.

"It was a terrible life," recalls Johnson, talking about how she, as a child, raised her children. She missed school, and spent days changing diapers, arguing with her husband and trying to pay bills. In total, in this marriage, Sherry gave birth to nine children, while the husband periodically left her.

"They took the handcuffs to tie it," Sherry said, referring to the arrest of her future husband for rape, but "handcuffed me by marrying me when I did not even understand what it was".

Now Johnson is campaigning to tighten state legislation on weddings with minors.

Journalists also note that her case is not unique, since from 2000 to 2010 in 38 US states marriages were concluded with 167 thousand minors under the age of 17 years.

As reported by the "Observer", in February 2017 in Chernivtsi for rape "mated" priest.

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