Sana'a: A Yemeni court prevented a family from marrying off their 10-year old girl, and described the planned arrangement as an illegal early marriage, said a human right group Thursday.
The primary court of Hajja province, north of the country, froze the contract of the marriage of the 10-year old Rahmana Ali Mabkhot, said Ahmad Al Quraishi, head of the Seyaj organisation for protection of childhood, a local NGO.
Al Quraishi said that the court had instructed Rahmana's father to keep his daughter until she is 17 years old when, the court added, she will be free to say yes or no to that contract.
The Seyaj worked on stopping this early marriage just hours before the wedding on February 26th, 2009, Al Quraishi said.
"We sent urgent letters to the governor of Hajja, Fareed Ahmad Mojawar, and director of the district of Wadhrah, where the families live, and also to the local prosecutor, who all cooperated and prevented the marriage from happening," said Al Quraishi.
The suspension of this marriage came few days after a new law setting the age of marriage at 17 was refused by some Islamic and tribal members of parliament.
Your comments
This girl is only 10 years old. How can they accept a child getting married?Now is the time for her to go to school. When she will be an adult she could decide what she wants to do with her life.
Stan Walczak
Mebourne,Australia
Posted: March 06, 2009, 14:34
