In the United States, girls as young as 12 years old are being married to much older men. It has been estimated that between 2000 and 2010 about 248,000 children were married, most of whom were female. Many assume that 18 is the legal marrying age in the United States and that there are protections against anyone under that entering a marriage, but that is far from reality. 18 states have no minimum age for marriage and, with certain conditions, minors of any age can be legally married. 12 other states just recently adopted legislation to prevent younger children from getting married, but getting these policies passed is a much more difficult process than one would guess.