In 2010 a 12-year-old Yemeni bride died of internal bleeding following intercourse three days after she was married off to an older man . The girl’s death was the latest in a series of child marriage cases in Yemen, where the minimum age to tie the knot is still under debate.
Throughout the world, the problem of early, forced marriages of children is considered to be a violation of basic human rights. Child marriage most often occurs in poor, rural communities.
Cultural, economic, and religious aspects of the communities when they live make it nearly impossible for the girls to break free from marrying early. Egypt, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Pakistan, India, and the Middle East: In the rural villages of these countries many young girls are rarely allowed out of their homes unless it is to work in the fields or to get married. These uneducated girls are often married off at the young age of 11. Some families allow girls who are only 7 years old to marry. It is very unusual for a girl to reach the age of 16 and not be married. Poverty plays a central role in causing and perpetuating early marriage. Poor countries and families often have few resources to support healthy alternatives for girls, such as schooling. In such families with limited resources, child marriage is often seen as a way to provide for their daughter’s future. However, girls who marry young have an increased chance of being poor and remaining poor.
Story of a more “luckiest” girl from Yemen
Nujood Ali is a figure of Yemen’s fight against forced marriage. At the age of ten, she obtained a divorce, breaking with the tribal tradition. Nujood Ali was eight when her parents arranged a marriage to a man in his thirties. Regularly beaten by her in-laws and raped by her husband. Ali escaped, two months after the wedding. On the advice of her stepmother, she went directly to court to seek a divorce. Yemeni law allows girls of any age to wed, but it forbids sex with them until an indefinite time when they are considered “suitable for sexual intercourse.” In court argued that Ali’s marriage violated the law, since she was raped.
What is the Solution?
Maybe the education is the most important key to helping end the practice of forced child marriages. Education of the parents is just as important as education of the children.
Source is momou.hu
Translated by Blue Line