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Elham Mahdi, a 12-year-old girl in Yemen, was forced to marry a man twice her age on March 29. Three days later she was dead from internal hemorrhaging resulting from forced sex according to The United Nations Children’s Fund.
Congresswoman Betty McCollum who is leading an effort to eliminate child marriage around the globe recently said, “In some countries such as Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Ethiopia, little girls – 8, 10 or 12 year olds – are being forced into marriages with men decades older. This is nothing short of modern slavery. These girls are condemned to a life of forced labor, coerced sex, extreme poverty and utter hopelessness.”
The husband of the 12-year-old bride attempted to obtain tranquilizers for her to make her more compliant. Failing that, he tied her up and violently had intercourse with her. Afterwards, when she was unable to walk, a doctor ordered the husband to refrain from intercourse for 10 days to allow her time to heal. He continued his attacks and the girl died 3 days later.
Another high profile Yemeni case was the forced marriage in 2008 of a 10-year-old girl, Nujood Mohammed Ali, to a 30-year-old man. She bravely escaped from the home and went to a court house and demanded a judge to issue a divorce. After a public trial and global outrage, she was granted a divorce.
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Some Yemeni women demanded a law to ban child marriages. However, Islamic clerics are now objecting to the proposed law calling it “unIslamic.” Muslims like to copy the Prophet Mohammed in every way possible in their lives and cite his marriages to justify the practise. Various Islamic books estimate one of Mohammed’s wives, Ayesha, was between six and 12 years old when she married the then 50-year old Mohammed.
How many more horrific stories will there be before the world outlaws child brides everywhere?
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