HRW reports that an eight-year-old girl died on her “wedding night” after her “husband” used her for sex.
Kuwaitis have called for stringent action against a family in Yemen after their eight-year-old daughter died of internal injuries on the first night of her arranged marriage to a man more than five times her age.
Rawan died in city of Hardh in the Governorate of Hajjah in northwestern Yemen, Kuwaiti daily Al Watan reported on Sunday, quoting Yemeni media.
She is believed to have suffered a tear to her genitals and severe bleeding.
Yemeni activists urged the local police to arrest the “beastly groom” and the girl’s family and transfer them to a court where justice would be served and the case would be used to help put an end to the practice of marrying very young girls in the impoverished country, the daily said.
Good luck.
I don’t know what to say. The poor child. Horrific.
Damn…damn…damn…damn…DAMN!
This news made me the angriest I’ve been in awhile. Are there any organizations that we can donate to that deal with trying to stop child marriage?
o.O …awful
Sorry I don’t have a link but I’ve actually seen an updated report that this story might not be true in this case. Supposedly the girl is at home and hasnt been married at all. Local law enforcers and a man reputedly her father have both said she is safe and they have claimed they will make and show pictures of her to prove it. The source of the original story was a freelance journalist who took all the info from the girls neighbours which is a bit suspicious, however he’s still sticking to his story and has accused police of a cover up. I’m hoping the cops and her father are telling the truth but it sadly won’t be surprising if a cover up is being instigated either. I am personally cautiously optimistic but we’ll see, I hope some of the media think to report the outcome even if there’s no ‘real’ story behind it just an overzealous journalist and some lieing neighbours.
If anyone wants a little more hope re-affirmation look up Nujood Ali, the girl in Yemen who famously divorced her ‘husband’ at age nine. Thanks to the money from the book she wrote her family have ownership of a two storey house. They live on the second floor and run a grocery store on the first floor, Nujood and her sister are attending a private school, if things can continue the way they are she and her sister will never have to fear being forced to marry again. I think it’s important to remember how much money factors in to these issues, it’s not just people being cruel and inhumane, the fact that in many of these child marriages the family is struggling with money says (at least to me) that rapists and pedophiles take advantage of these families to get easy access to victims.
Irrespective of whether this particular story is true or not, it doesn’t take away from the fact that that sort of barbaric antediluvian practice isn’t happening in Yemen. For instance, from what I gather in the media, a local rights organisation from the city of Hardh in the Governorate of Hajjah in northwestern Yemen stated:
It is also reported that Yemen once set 15 as the minimum age for marriage, but parliament annulled that law in the 1990s, saying parents should decide when a daughter should marry. So Sharia Law which takes precedence is indirectly responsible for the untimely deaths of children, who should otherwise grow up to be cherished and loved by adults.
According to the World Health Organisation, every day 39,000 girls younger than 18 are forced to marry. What an uncaring world it is for those children to inhabit.
@MJ (4):
See:
http://yemenpost.net/Detail123456789.aspx?ID=3&SubID=7198&MainCat=3
https://twitter.com/HelgaBitter at Twitterland has just told me that story concerning young girl was covered up, and that it did actually happen. She quoted:
Child bride, 8, dies of internal bleeding on wedding night, says Yemeni activist http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2013/09/10/child_bride_8_dies_of_internal_bleeding_on_wedding_night_says_yemeni_activist.html via @torontostar
A child or woman younger than nineteen has a greater chance of dying in childbirth as well.