Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Wedding bells for children..


In Jemen, a 12 yo old girl that had been married to a 24 yo man, has given birth to a still born. The young mother didn't make it either. She died of excess bleedings while being in labor. What a tragedy..
In Jemen, the poorest country of the Arabic world, it is common for girls to get married at a very young age. One quarter of the females get wed before they even reach the age of 15, as told in a recent study. Girls from a poor family are often promised to older, rich men. Sometimes even cousins get married. The belief says it will protect them from ending up in a bad relationship.

Two years ago, an 8 (!) yo girl went to court to ask the judge if he could annul her wedding with a 30 yo man. The court thought she was too young to be married. Since February, the legal minimum age to get married is 17. Some more conservative members of the Parliament are trying to fight this new law, stating it is against their Islamic belief.
How can parents agree in sending their young daughters into a marriage at that age? I'm so glad we live in Belgium and not in Jemen. Let a child be a child, without marital duties and without giving birth to another child at this young age. What's wrong with love in a marriage? Don't tell me these young girls love their husband and it was their choice to be wed at such a young age. How can these men have intercourse with such young girls? They could be their daughters! I'm very open minded, but this is too much, even for me...

2 comments:

Upje said...

Brrr, daar krijg je toch de kriebels van, hé. Ik vind niet dat iemand meteen moet veroordeeld worden omdat hij pakweg 19 is en zijn vriendinnetje 16 en een paar maanden. Of zelfs als hij 22 is en zij 16, geloof ik heus wel dat het best mogelijk is dat het over wederzijdse liefde gaat etc. Maar dit? Daar moét gewoon paal en perk aan gesteld worden. Arme meisjes ...

En dat meisje van 8 is er dan wel in geslaagd om haar huwelijk te laten annuleren, maar dan is ze dus eerst wel getrouwd geweest ... en wat heeft ze op die tijd dan wel niet allemaal moeten doorstaan?! Gruwelijk!

www.kokenenhogehakken.blogspot.be said...

Je mag er niet aan denken hè... Stel je voor... een kind van 8... ppppff