Naila Amin

Naila Amin is a South Asian-American human rights activist and expert on child and forced marriage, whose personal experience has contributed to legislative change in the United States. Amin survived child marriage after being engaged at age 8 and married at 13 while visiting family in Pakistan. Following months of abuse and several escape attempts, she returned to the United States with assistance from U.S. authorities and later faced challenging residential placements.

Amin began her advocacy work at age 25 and founded The Naila Amin Foundation, which provides culturally sensitive services and support for women and girls fleeing forced and child marriages and honor-based violence. The foundation addresses the need for group homes for minors escaping such situations, as most domestic violence shelters do not accept girls under 18. Amin holds a degree in human services, which informs her advocacy for child protection and women's rights.

Amin's efforts have contributed to changes in child marriage and immigration laws, including the passage of "Naila's Law" in New York, which raises the minimum marriage age to 18. She also played a role in New Jersey's decision to set the minimum marriage age at 18. Amin continues to work with lawmakers to advance similar legislation in other states.

Amin has advocated for a federal law, the Child Marriage Prevention Act, to ban marriage for children under 18. She has spoken about the intersection of child marriage and immigration, highlighting how legislation can prevent the exploitation of minors through spousal visa applications. Amin trains law enforcement, frontline workers, and the public on the harms of child and forced marriage, and has worked to include these issues in the National Prevention Act of Violence Against Women with the White House Gender Policy Council.

Amin regularly speaks at high schools and universities to raise awareness about forced and child marriage. She has appeared in documentaries and serves as the Global Indian Ambassador for child rights in the United States. Through her work with The Naila Amin Foundation, Amin continues to advocate for the protection of children and the prevention of forced marriage, both nationally and internationally.