An eight year old
died of sexual injuries on her wedding night with her 40 year old husband in
Yemen. [Photo for illustrative purposes courtesy of delhi4cats]
An eight year-old
child bride died in Yemen on her wedding night after suffering internal
injuries due to sexual trauma. Human rights organizations are calling for the
arrest of her husband, who was five times her age.
Al Nahar,
Lebanon, reported that the death occurred in the tribal area of Hardh in
northwestern Yemen, which borders Saudi Arabia. This brings even more attention
to the already existing issue of forced child marriages in the Middle East.
"According
to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), between 2011 and 2020, more than
140 million girls will become child brides. Furthermore, of the 140 million
girls who will marry before the age of 18, 50 million will be under the age of
15."
It is reported
that over a quarter of Yemen's young girls are married before the age of 15.
Not only do they lose access to health and education, these child brides are
commonly subjected to physical, emotional and sexual violence in their forced
marriages.
One of the main
issues is that there is currently no consistent established definition of a
"child" that has been agreed upon worldwide. This leaves various interpretations within
countries and little protection for those who are affected.
Establishing this
age limit is among the top priorities of groups like HRC which was responsible
for publishing the 54-page report “How Come You Allow Little Girls to Get
Married?”, documenting the lifelong damage to girls who are forced to marry at
young ages. Most pro age-limit
organizations agree that 18 should be the legal age for marriage.
In February 2009,
a law was created in Yemen that set the minimum age for marriage at 17.
Unfortunately, it was repealed after more conservative lawmakers called it
un-Islamic.
Notes:
SOURCE:
http://www.albawaba.com/editorchoice/yemen-child-marriage-human-rights-519066
Published September 9th, 2013 -
09:01 GMT via SyndiGate.info
No comments:
Post a Comment