An eight-year-old child bride has died in Yemen of internal bleeding sustained during her wedding night after being forced to marry a man five times her age, human rights activists have said.
The girl, identified only as Rawan, died in the tribal area of Hardh in northwestern Yemen, which borders Saudi Arabia.
Activists are now calling for the groom, who is believed to be around 40 years old, and the girl's family, to be arrested so they can face justice in the courts. They say arrests would help put a stop to the practice of marrying very young girls to older men, a common practice in the region.
The practice of marrying young girls is widespread in Yemen and has attracted the attention of international rights groups seeking to pressure the government to outlaw child marriages.
More than a quarter of Yemen's females marry before the age of 15, according to a report issued by Human Rights Watch. Yemen passed a law in 2009 which sets the minimum age for marriage at 17 years, however, it was repealed after conservative lawmakers complained that it went against Islamic teachings.
Yemen had previously set the minimum age for marriage at 15 years ago, but parliament annulled that law in the 1990s, saying parents should decide when a daughter marries.
Yemen's gripping poverty plays a role in hindering efforts to stamp out the practice, as poor families find themselves unable to say no to "bride-prices" for their daughter which can be hundreds of dollars.
Tribal customs also play a role, including the belief that a young bride can be shaped into an obedient wife, bear more children and be kept away from temptation.
In September 2010, a 12-year-old Yemeni child-bride died after struggling for three days in labor to give birth, a local human rights organization said.
Bloggers were ripe with criticism for this practice. Commenting on this particular case, one blogger named "Angry Man" posted on his site, "The man is an animal who deserves to be punished severely for his crime. All those who supported such a crime should also be punished," he added.
Another blogger, called Omar, wrote: "Rawan's family members are not humans. They do not deserve to have children."
Another blogger, called "Sad" wrote, "Her family and her groom could have waited for some time before having this marriage. It was not fair at all and the marriage should not have happened even if some tribes believe that it is a good custom."
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