Authorities yet to take any action against the girl’s family or her husband. PHOTO: APP/ FILE
An eight-year-old Yemeni girl died of internal bleeding on her wedding night after marrying a man five times her age, a social activist and two local residents said, in a case that has caused an outcry in the media and revived debate about child brides.
Arwa Othman, head of Yemen House of Folklore and a leading rights campaigner, said the girl, identified only as Rawan, was married to a 40-year-old man late last week in the town of Meedi in Hajjah province in northwestern Yemen.
“On the wedding night and after intercourse, she suffered from bleeding and uterine rupture which caused her death,” Othman told Reuters. "They took her to a clinic but the medics couldn’t save her life.”
Othman said authorities had not taken any action against the girl’s family or her husband.
A local security official in the provincial town of Haradh denied any such incident had taken place. He did not want to be identified because he was not authorised to speak to the press.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 11th, 2013.
COMMENTS (13)
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ET! why wasn't my previous comment published? If others have right to criticize my comment, then so do I...so don't be biased!!
anyways I just want to clarify that I am a Muslim woman myself and no man can better understand the poor girls pain and agony than I can and I blame the Muslim Men who are allowed to marry underage women but are NOT ALLOWED to initiate physical relation with them till the time the girl reaches puberty and THAT is NOT at the age of eight...so yeahh its a rape and murder under the cover of "Muslim Marriage" and incidents like these make us all Muslims look bad in front of the world!
So long the law permits marriage of 8 years girl with the groom of 80 years ,such incidents may occur in future. Though the groom's act is highly disgusting but he can't be booked for punishment under any law . The only consolation is that there is an outcry in small section of the society against such acts which might stop such marriages( and such tragic incidents)in future.
I cannot believe everyone would start trolling on this news!
@whitesky you don't know what my priorities are so do not comment without any prior knowledge and try to change your attitude and learn to accept what is wrong with this "Muslim" society and I say that cause I am a Muslim woman and no man can understand the torture the poor girl went through more than I can!
The only reason I am concerned about the image of Islam is because people mis-use it all the time. I know Islam has no age limit for marriage, but you cannot have intercourse with your wife before she hits puberty and 8 is definitely NOT the age for that....it is simply rape under the cover of "Muslim marriage"....so disgusted!!!!!!!!
Sick!
@ SHAGY: As per shariah there is no age limit for girls marriage.
I think there is more to it than that meets the eye . Was that man really her husband. I think they are trying to cover up the 'r a p e' story as done by her ' husband '. Who registered this marriage .Catch that bugger first . Was it the court or some priest ?
@SHAGY: i am sorry to say that you are more concerned about the image of Islam and Muslim than the sufferings of the child brides. Your priorities are different . so long such incidents can be shoved under carpet there is no problem and child marriage is not an issue. .
@SHAGY: Hey Shagy, the same news paper reported yesterday that, an unmarried girl give a birth while his Man ran away in US, the police is searching for him. The girl got to know when she reached to 7 month of pregnancy, and she decided to give a birth.
The Yemeni girl story is very unfortunate and this happens very rare. However, in the west, forced
My fellow Muslims! have you no shame?! why do you do these things and make us all and our religion look bad all over the world?!
In most of the civilized girl even looking at an 8 years old with lust is crime. How can people keep on living in medieval period in this day and age.
Outdated customs and practices need to be outlawed. Child marriages are severely abusive and there can be no justification for their continued practice.
This is rape. I really don't know how an 8-year-old girl will participate in consensual sex with a 40-year-old man. Does she know the meaning of sex ?........There is no difference between the rapist who violated the girl with iron rod in Delhi and the 40-year-old pervert who violated the 8-year-old to such an extent that her uterine has been ruptured.........THIS IS SIMPLY DISGUSTING........
disgusting