It follows a Pakistan-born Muslim cleric being charged with conducting illegal marriage and arrest of the "husband" PHOTO: FILE
SYDNEY: The father of a 12-year-old girl was arrested in Australia on Wednesday after allegedly marrying her off to a man 14 years her senior.
Child abuse detectives charged the 61-year-old with being an accessory before the fact of having sexual intercourse with a child and procuring a child under 14 years for unlawful sexual activity.
It follows a Pakistan-born Muslim cleric being charged Tuesday with conducting the illegal marriage and the arrest last week of the "husband" - a Lebanese national - on 25 child sex offences.
The father, reportedly an Australian who converted to Islam, was refused bail in a court at Raymond Terrace, north of Sydney, while the 26-year-old Lebanese also remains in custody.
Magistrate Caled Franklin said it appeared the 61-year-old did not believe he had done anything wrong.
"Even if the allegations against him are proved he believes there is nothing wrong with the behaviour alleged," said the magistrate, according to the Newcastle Herald.
The newspaper quoted a Legal Aid solicitor as saying the man denied the allegations against him and argued that his daughter was "a very, very mature and strong-willed young woman".
"He says they are in love and it is a very strong love," the solicitor added.
While child marriages remain prevalent in parts of the world, in Australia 18 is the minimum age to tie the knot and the case has sparked debate about how widespread the problem is.
An investigation by the Sydney Daily Telegraph published Wednesday said there was an "epidemic" of child brides with hundreds of under-age teenagers living in unregistered "marriages" in New South Wales state alone.
The state's Community Services Minister Pru Goward last week said anecdotal evidence suggested forced marriages between children and adults was an ongoing issue, particularly in Sydney.
"This is a very secretive practice ... but it is not an unknown practice," she said after the current case first surfaced.
"I understand there are actually a significant number of unlawful, unregistered marriages to under-aged girls in NSW, particularly in western Sydney, southwest Sydney and the Blue Mountains."
Goward has written to her federal counterpart Michaelia Cash to ask for national awareness campaigns on under-age and forced marriage.
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To all the supporters of Islam! when you live in a common law jurisdiction you must obey those laws or face sanction! There is no excuse for this Father or the Cleric or for the bride groom. They have violated the common law of Australia and therefore will suffer the consequences. When in Rome do as the Romans do! period!
@Ali: "Hundreds of underage girls" You are half right. There are many disgusting old men taking advantage of young immature girls and getting away with it. Saying that children are mature is a cop-out. It is high time it was stopped, and it will not stop until these elderly male idiots with an over abundance of money and testosterone are severely punished..
@Sexton Blake: As per the story there are hundreds of underage girls have living relationships with adults.Govt should also take action, or reduce the age limit for marriage, as female gets mature early to males.
@rasgullah:
Not only the religion but also the origin, because "obviously" Pakistan is responsible for his wrong doing? This news station is worse than Indian news, misleading and humiliating its own people on purpose.
We demand that Australia must implement the sharia law in full letter and spirit.
@Hamare: "This father cannot be blamed". Why not? He carried out an illegal act.
@Bouncing Betty, This young child's father had a duty of care and broke the law so he has done something wrong. Protecting under-age children is taken seriously in most countries.
From an Islamic point of view, father has done nothing wrong.
When I read this line "The father, reportedly an Australian who converted to Islam, was refused bail in a court at Raymond Terrace, north of Sydney, while the 26-year-old Lebanese also remains in custody." , I stooped reading further . I came to know the reason behind it. This father certainly can't be blamed , it lies somewhere else.