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Child Bride in Yemen Bleeds to DeathA 13-year-old in an arranged marriage bleeds to death four days after her wedding.
Warning: this is a terribly sad story.
In Yemen, arranging child marriages is a popular practice, with more than a quarter of Yemen's females being married under the age of 15. This is partly because of the tribal belief that, the younger the bride, the better the chance that she will be obedient to her husband. These marriages are also very tempting to poor families, as the husband must pay the family for his underage bride.
So, children as young as 12 and 13 are being married to men in their 20s and older. Girls like one 13-year-old from Hajja province, who was married to a 23-year-old man, and then died just four days after their wedding. She bled to death – from a tear in her genitals.
Her husband was her brother's good friend, and the two had arranged to "exchange" their sisters because it would be cheaper than usual bride-prices. The husband has since been detained by authorities after his wife's death on April 2.
In September, another child bride (this time, a 12-year-old), died after struggling to give birth for three full days.
Unfortunately, Yemen authorities can't agree on what the appropriate age limit should be on child marriages. The minimum age used to be 15, but that was annulled in the 1990s. Last year, a law set the minimum at 17, but that was repealed and sent back to parliament for review. A final decision on the law is expected to be announced this month.
Child Bride in Yemen Bleeds to Death | BettyConfidential.com
Warning: this is a terribly sad story.
In Yemen, arranging child marriages is a popular practice, with more than a quarter of Yemen's females being married under the age of 15. This is partly because of the tribal belief that, the younger the bride, the better the chance that she will be obedient to her husband. These marriages are also very tempting to poor families, as the husband must pay the family for his underage bride.
So, children as young as 12 and 13 are being married to men in their 20s and older. Girls like one 13-year-old from Hajja province, who was married to a 23-year-old man, and then died just four days after their wedding. She bled to death – from a tear in her genitals.
Her husband was her brother's good friend, and the two had arranged to "exchange" their sisters because it would be cheaper than usual bride-prices. The husband has since been detained by authorities after his wife's death on April 2.
In September, another child bride (this time, a 12-year-old), died after struggling to give birth for three full days.
Unfortunately, Yemen authorities can't agree on what the appropriate age limit should be on child marriages. The minimum age used to be 15, but that was annulled in the 1990s. Last year, a law set the minimum at 17, but that was repealed and sent back to parliament for review. A final decision on the law is expected to be announced this month.
Child Bride in Yemen Bleeds to Death | BettyConfidential.com
