8-Year-Old Yemeni Childbride Dies Of Internal Injuries After Sex With 40 Year Old Husband
- 10 Sep
Rawan, an eight-year-old child bride has died of internal bleeding sustained during her wedding night after being forced to marry a man five times her age. This happened in the tribal area of Hardh in northwestern Yemen.
Mail Online reported that:
"Activists are now calling for the groom, who is believed to be around 40 years old, and her family to be arrested so they can face justice in the courts."
"They say arrests would help put a stop to the practice of marrying very young girls to older men in the impoverished region."
The practice of marrying young girls is common in Yemen and other parts of the world.It has therefore become an issue of global concern which has attracted the attention of international rights groups seeking to pressure the government to outlaw child marriages.
Poverty in Yemen has made it difficult to curb the issue, as poor families find themselves unable to say no to 'bride-prices' that can be hundreds of dollars for their daughters.According to a report in 2010 by the Social Affairs Ministry:
"More than a quarter of Yemen's females marry before age 15."
Custom as well as the belief that a young bride can be made into an obedient wife, give birth to more children and be kept away from temptation are factors that make the issue of 'child brides' difficult to abolish.
However, a local human rights organisation said:"In September 2010, a 12-year-old Yemeni child-bride died after struggling for three days in labour to give birth."
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 marries.
Related articles
- 08 Sep
People in Leeds call to tackle domestic violence
Leaders from private, public and third sectors gathered for the Voice of Leeds Summit and discussed what they could do to tackle domestic violence, reports the Yorkshire Evening Post.Over the past...
- 04 Sep
Plans to tackle domestic violence in Bury
Research by Bury Council’s domestic violence and abuse steering group has found that there was an average of ten incidents a day in the past year from April 2015, reports the Bury Times.Town hall...
- 28 Aug
Domestic violence levels in Northern Ireland at highest
Police have said that the number of reports of domestic violence are continuing to rise, and from April 2014 to April 2015 there was a 5.6% increase, report U TV. Ulster University is set to release...
- 16 Jul
Welfare reforms could make it harder for domestic violence victims to leave their homes
Service director for Newcastle Women’s Aid Elaine Langshawe has said that welfare reforms are making it harder for domestic violence victims to leave their partners, reports the Chronicle Live.Ms...
- 15 Jul
Support for domestic violence survivors provided by local charities
A contract worth £1.2m a year has been obtained by Women’s Aid Integrated Services, Nottinghamshire Women’s Aid and Equation, reports Impact Nottingham. This contract uses funds from...
- 13 Jul
New fund to support victims of domestic violence
The fund will be open to proposals from local partnerships that show how the needs of victims are able to be met in innovative ways, reports 24dash. It has also been revealed that there will be a...
- 03 Jul
Domestic violence campaign launched in Sandwell
Run by charity Fry Housing Trust, Sandwell Council and Sandwell’s Domestic Abuse Strategic Partnership, the ‘Brighter Futures’ scheme will be running over the next two years, reports ITV...
- 24 Jun
Wolverhampton police see thousands of domestic violence reports
It has been reported that an average of sixteen incidents of domestic violence were recorded each day in Wolverhampton over the last year, reports the Express and Star.Of the 5,900 incidents reported...
- 15 Jun
UK’s approach to domestic violence called ‘incoherent’
A leaked copy of an official report by the UN special rapporteur on violence against women, Rashida Manjoo, has called for an urgent inquiry into Yarl’s Wood and a focus on repeated allegations...
- 10 Jun
Domestic violence to be highlighted in new film by students and police in Sunderland
The first year media students and third year drama students at the University of Sunderland have created four short films that cover financial, emotional, physical and sexual forms of domestic abuse,...
What are the Future Funding Arrangements for Supported and Sheltered Housing? "Another informative session provided by Support Solutions, excellent session" P.R. - Wrekin Housing Trust
