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Yemen Right-Wingers Blocked Push to End Child Marriages

Conservatives claimed introducing minimum marriage age was un-Islamic

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 17, 2009 3:17 AM CDT
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(Newser) – Conservative lawmakers in Yemen, where a 12-year-old girl died giving birth to her husband's child last week, shot down an attempt to set the minimum marriage age at 17 earlier this year, CNN reports. The lawmakers kept the bill from reaching the country's president by arguing that it violated Islamic law, which does not stipulate any minimum age for marriage.

The Yemeni government argues that it is trying to end the practice of men marrying young girls through an education campaign, but over half of Yemeni women are married before they turn 18. "When they're pushed into marriage, they are pushed into early pregnancy," which is a "recipe for disaster" because of health risks, said a Yemeni UNICEF spokesman. "Girls who give birth before the age of 15 are five times more likely to die in childbirth than women in their 20s."

Yemeni women walk past the capital's Saleh Mosque to attend prayers .
Yemeni women walk past the capital's Saleh Mosque to attend prayers .   (AP Photo/Mohammed al-Qadhi)
Yemeni policemen walk past photos showing Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, as they patrol the tourist area of old Sana'a, Yemen.
Yemeni policemen walk past photos showing Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, as they patrol the tourist area of old Sana'a, Yemen.   (AP Photo/Amr Nabil)
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Child marriages violate the rights of children in the most deplorable way. - Ann M. Veneman, executive director of the United Nations Children Fund

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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 19 comments
Guest
Sep 20, 2009 7:36 AM CDT
you can't be serious
odowd80
Sep 17, 2009 7:44 AM CDT
Of course, riffran, it would be crazy to think that right-wingers of any kind would block much-needed legislation that would help protect powerless citizens...oh wait...
my-name-here
Sep 17, 2009 7:37 AM CDT
It wasn't that long ago in the U.S. that was not uncommon...of course back then the average life span was about 40.

 
human rights • children • Islamic Sharia law • childbirth • Yemen • child brides • child marriage • underage marriage

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