Elham Assi, a 13 year old girl has died in Yemen a few days after getting married with a man of 23. According to what the girl told her mother, her husband tied her up and raped her repeatedly. The medical report of Al-Thawra Hospital determined that the girl suffered severe lacerations in both her vagina and her rectum, resulting in an internal bleeding that caused his death.
This is not the only case of child abuse in this country. According to Oxfam,
40% of Yemeni girls are married before the age of 18. In fact, one third of married women in the country has nearly 15 years old. Sigrid Kaag, UNICEF's regional manager, said that "early marriage increases the risk that girls are dropped out of school, exposed to violence, abuse or exploitation and even of losing their lives because of pregnancies, births and other complications." In September 2009, for example, another girl, aged 11, died after a three-day birth.
Thanks to the efforts of NGOs, in 2009 a new law was drafted that made 17 years old the minimum age for marriage. However, the text was revoked by some lawmakers that considered it anti-Islamic, and the Constitutional Committee has not yet ruled on the matter. It is striking that many of the protests at the idea of eliminating these marriages come from women.
One of the possibilities that the organizations that are involved in this matter point is that many families marry off their daughters because they believe in the protection benefits that her husband could give them, both economically and personally. The problem is not only that they are robbed of their childhood, but in many cases, as in the case of Elham, is that they are being forced to live with his own enemy.
"If you marry a girl of nine years old, a happy marriage will be guaranteed," reads a proverb in the country. The journalist from El Mundo Monica G. Prieto explained that the absence of women's rights, tribal tradition, the money paid to the bride’s family -whose situation is often precarious- and the belief that younger women are more likely to be submissive to their husband are the main reasons for such acts continue in Yemen and in other countries.
According to UNICEF, child marriage is common in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. In the Middle East, North Africa and other parts of Asia it is often done after puberty, but not the majority. Marriage is also a reason for leaving school and becoming slaves of their husbands. They also have early pregnancies, with the risk of death for the fetus, and are more prone to sexually transmitted diseases.
To make things worse, abuse is really common in marriages of this type. If the girl refuses to get married, she will be punished. Some have come to be killed by their own parents or siblings for staining the honour of their family.
This organization seeks to promote the education of these girls and their autonomy, so that they can enjoy their childhood and adolescence before embarking on other responsibilities that do not correspond in any way with those of a teenager.
This is not the only case of child abuse in this country. According to Oxfam,
40% of Yemeni girls are married before the age of 18. In fact, one third of married women in the country has nearly 15 years old. Sigrid Kaag, UNICEF's regional manager, said that "early marriage increases the risk that girls are dropped out of school, exposed to violence, abuse or exploitation and even of losing their lives because of pregnancies, births and other complications." In September 2009, for example, another girl, aged 11, died after a three-day birth.Thanks to the efforts of NGOs, in 2009 a new law was drafted that made 17 years old the minimum age for marriage. However, the text was revoked by some lawmakers that considered it anti-Islamic, and the Constitutional Committee has not yet ruled on the matter. It is striking that many of the protests at the idea of eliminating these marriages come from women.
One of the possibilities that the organizations that are involved in this matter point is that many families marry off their daughters because they believe in the protection benefits that her husband could give them, both economically and personally. The problem is not only that they are robbed of their childhood, but in many cases, as in the case of Elham, is that they are being forced to live with his own enemy.
"If you marry a girl of nine years old, a happy marriage will be guaranteed," reads a proverb in the country. The journalist from El Mundo Monica G. Prieto explained that the absence of women's rights, tribal tradition, the money paid to the bride’s family -whose situation is often precarious- and the belief that younger women are more likely to be submissive to their husband are the main reasons for such acts continue in Yemen and in other countries.
According to UNICEF, child marriage is common in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. In the Middle East, North Africa and other parts of Asia it is often done after puberty, but not the majority. Marriage is also a reason for leaving school and becoming slaves of their husbands. They also have early pregnancies, with the risk of death for the fetus, and are more prone to sexually transmitted diseases.
To make things worse, abuse is really common in marriages of this type. If the girl refuses to get married, she will be punished. Some have come to be killed by their own parents or siblings for staining the honour of their family.
This organization seeks to promote the education of these girls and their autonomy, so that they can enjoy their childhood and adolescence before embarking on other responsibilities that do not correspond in any way with those of a teenager.
No comments:
Post a Comment