Finally! We ended child marriage in Delaware and New Jersey, giving us two states down and 48 to go in the fight to end child marriage in the United States.

This calls for a Chain-In Celebration.

We at Unchained At Last invite you to join us at the Jersey Shore on August 1 for the first ever Chain-In Celebration. We'll wear the bridal gowns and chains we always wear at Chain-Ins (which we provide!), but we'll skip the tape on our mouths so we can smile and cheer on the heroes who made this happen - while we also urge 48 states to follow Delaware and New Jersey's lead.

We'll honor the New Jersey legislators behind this historic legislation:

• Sen. Nellie Pou
• Asm. Nancy Munoz

And we'll hear from these allies who fought alongside us to achieve this legislative

• Kelly Flannery, Human Rights Watch
• Kate Kelly, Equality Now
• Deb Huber, National Organization for Women of New Jersey
• Rachel Gallagher, Westfield 20/20
• Naila Amin, Naila Amin Foundation

6:00 p.m. Registration and bridal attire
6:30 p.m. Chain-In Celebration begins
7:00 p.m. Chain-In Celebration concludes
7:15 p.m. Celebration moves next door for pay-your-own way dinner/drinks at Donovan's Reef

We provide the bridal gowns, veils and chains, at no cost. Just register here and join us to make some noise. Please see the Chain-In FAQs below for more information.

Ending Child Marriage in the U.S.

We lead a growing national movement to end child marriage in the United States by eliminating the legal loopholes in state laws that allow child marriage. When we launched the movement in October 2015, child marriage was legal in all 50 states.

Child marriage is often forced marriage, because children face overwhelming legal and practical barriers if they try to leave home, enter a domestic violence shelter, retain an attorney or bring a legal action such as a divorce before they turn 18. Further, child marriage destroys girls' health, education and economic opportunities and significantly increases their risk of being beaten by their spouse.

But legislators in state after state rejected or watered down the simple, commonsense legislation we're pushing to end child marriage. They did this despite the extensive legal research we've conducted - thanks to the generosity of the law firm White & Case - that shows the full horror of child marriage. Despite the state coalitions we've assembled across the U.S. and the email campaigns we've launched, the testimony we've presented, the op-ed articles we've written and the media interviews we've given. Despite the many Chain-Ins we've organized , at which we wear bridal gowns and chains, to show the world what life looks like for a girl who's forced to marry.

And then, in May, Delaware became the first U.S. state to end child marriage. New Jersey followed in June.

Chain-In with us to celebrate the progress and make sure it doesn't stop here.

Chain-In FAQs

Q: I prefer not to wear bridal attire and/or not to chain my arms. May I still join the Chain-In Celebration?

A: Absolutely!

Q: Is this legal?

A: Yes. We have the backing of the First Amendment and permission from the Borough of Sea Bright.

Q: What time does the Chain-In Celebration begin and end?

A: Please arrive at 6 p.m. to sign in and get into Chain-In attire. The actual Chain-In Celebration will begin 6:30 p.m. and end around 7 p.m. (If you take the bus from Westfield, it will leave 4 p.m. from the Westfield train station on North Avenue. The bus will return to Westfield by 9:30 p.m.)

Q: Where is the exact Chain-In Celebration location?

A: The Chain-In Celebration will be held on the Sea Bright Public Beach (right behind 1099 E Ocean Avenue). You can park at the municipal lot there, then head onto the beach. The pay-your-own-way dinner and drinks afterward will be held next door at Donovan's Reef (1171 Ocean Avenue).

Q: Will the Chain-In Celebration proceed in case of bad weather?

A: Yes, the event will proceed unless officials declare a state of emergency.

Q: How else can I help end forced and child marriage?

A: Click here to see other ways to join the movement.

This Chain-In Celebration is made possible by generous support from Lush Charity Pot.