The death of an eight-year-old bride in Yemen
An eight-year-old child bride died in Yemen on her wedding night after suffering internal injuries due to sexual trauma. Her husband was five times her age. Human rights organisations called for his arrest. This article sets out what the report said.
What happened
The Lebanese newspaper Al Nahar reported that the death took place in a tribal area of north-western Yemen, near the border with Saudi Arabia. The case brought new attention to forced child marriage in the Middle East.
A wider problem
According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), more than 140 million girls would become child brides between 2011 and 2020. Of these, 50 million would be under the age of 15.
The report also said that over a quarter of Yemen's young girls were married before the age of 15. Child brides often lose access to health care and education. Many face physical, emotional and sexual violence in their marriages.
The question of age
There is no single definition of a "child" agreed worldwide. This leaves room for different readings within countries and little protection for those affected.
A rights group published a 54-page report, "How Come You Allow Little Girls to Get Married?", on the lifelong damage done to girls who are forced to marry young. Most organisations that campaign for an age limit agree that the legal age of marriage should be 18.
In February 2009, Yemen passed a law that set the minimum age of marriage at 17. It was repealed after more conservative lawmakers called it un-Islamic.