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Saturday, September 14, 2013

A BARBARIC TRADITION OF MARRYING UNDERAGE GIRLS IN YEMEN

An 8 year-old Yemeni child bride, a mere girl, recently died on her wedding night from internal hemorrhaging. She was married to a man five times her age. As disgusting as the tradition of marrying off children to much older men is, it is common practice in Yemen. More than a quarter of the female population are married before the age of 15.
In 2010, a 12 year-old girl passed away after struggling for three days in labor, attempting to give birth to a baby. Countless other children have been subjected to similar atrocities.
Groups all over the world are working to snuff out this archaic and disgusting practice, but its proving difficult. The impoverished country is gripped by the practice of selling off children to be married; poor families find themselves unable to say no to “bride-prices” that can be hundreds of dollars for their daughters.

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