By Michal Ortner
Islamic Yemeni culture has continued a tradition of much older men marrying young girls, some as young as 7 and 8. In 2013, there were reports of a 40-year-old male consummating his marriage with an innocent 8-year-old girl. The child died on the wedding night due to trauma.
“On the wedding night and after intercourse, she suffered from bleeding and uterine rupture, which caused her death,” Arwa Othman, a leading rights campaigner, explained to Reuters. “They took her to a clinic, but the medics couldn’t save her life.”
Despite the tragic outcome of this barbaric tradition, no action was taken against the 40-year-old male for the death of the child. Neither parents nor local authorities pressed charges.
Unfortunately, this trend continues and young females are still trapped in marriages with men many years their seniors. What would be called pedophilia in America is considered “normal” for this people group.
Once again, a child has died due to injuries sustained on her wedding night with a much older male. After being forced into a marriage through a process called a “swap marriage,” 13-year-old Iilam Mahdi al Assi was internally injured after her wedding.
Assi was given into marriage to a man and her brother married the sister of her husband. This is the definition of a swap marriage. This often occurs when two men agree to marry each other’s sister so that they can forego costly bride-prices.
‘Elham is a martyr of abuse of children’s lives in Yemen and a clear example of what is justified by the lack of limits on the age of marriage,’ SAF said in a statement.
UNICEF regional director, Sigrid Kaag, said that the child agency of the United Nations is “dismayed by the death of yet another child bride in Yemen.”
According to a medical report that was found by human rights group Shaqaeq Arab Forum for Human Rights, Assi had severe tearing in her genitals and uncontrollable bleeding.
The group continues to fight for the right to change the legal age for marriage in Yemen. The practice is defended by many residents because of the high rate of poverty among citizens who receive a bride-price when their daughter is married off.
It is estimated that more than 25% of females are married off before their 15th birthday. The government continues to avoid involvement, saying that they will not overstep parental decisions.
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