Search :
Tuesday, 07 September 2010 - 28 Ramadan 1431 H
FRONT PAGE Shock as girl, 12, accepts aged husband
By Majed Al-Marshad
BURAIDAH – A Buraidah girl, 12, sent shockwaves through the courthouse here when she said that she accepted her marriage to an 80-year-old man because she wanted to obey the wishes of her father.
The marriage has caused a great deal of controversy in the Kingdom and resulted in widespread condemnation from local and international human rights activists. The elderly man paid SR85,000 dowry which the father claims he is holding for his daughter.
The decision surprised Ibrahim Al-Amr, the judge of the General Court in Buraidah on Monday. Al-Amr was expected to issue a verdict in the matter when the girl made the announcement.
During the court session, she said: “The marriage took place with my consent and I accept him as my husband in obedience to my father.”
The child’s statement was not the only surprise of the day. The girl’s divorced mother also dropped a bombshell by withdrawing the lawsuit she had filed to annul her daughter’s marriage to the 80-year-old man.
The girl’s mother has now added a condition to the marriage, that her daughter must be allowed to complete her education and that her former husband should drop previous cases he had filed against her. Also, she stipulated that she be given custody over her son.
Sources said mediation is taking place between representatives of the girl’s father and mother to settle the case amicably.
Judicial sources have confirmed that the girl’s father has asked the judge to withdraw her case. The mother would also withdraw the case she filed at the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) opposing the marriage, according to the sources.
Questions are now being asked about the dramatic change in the course of the matter. Saleh Al-Dubaibi, a lawyer who has been hired by the Mawaddah Charitable Society, said that the mother had not informed him personally that she had dropped her case. She had also not notified the NSHR either.
“Mediation is going on now between the girl’s divorced father and mother aiming to contain the matter and prevent it from being given too much attention in the media, as it has become a public opinion case.”
The lawyer said there should be laws preventing marriage of underage girls to old men because it is the children who become the victims.
“There are people who are trying to exploit public opinion to achieve personal goals,” stressing that the case “necessitates enacting laws that curb marriage of underage girls.” He said the girl was still a child even though she appeared to be physically mature. As she was still a child, she could be influenced easily, he said.
“She is the age of his great grandchildren,” he said.
The marriage was solemnized in September 2009 and the wedding ceremony took place a few weeks ago.
Saudi Arabia has no laws preventing underage marriages. Plans are under way to prevent this from happening with a law that will raise the age of marriage of girls to between 16 and 18 years. – Okaz/SG
The marriage has caused a great deal of controversy in the Kingdom and resulted in widespread condemnation from local and international human rights activists. The elderly man paid SR85,000 dowry which the father claims he is holding for his daughter.
The decision surprised Ibrahim Al-Amr, the judge of the General Court in Buraidah on Monday. Al-Amr was expected to issue a verdict in the matter when the girl made the announcement.
During the court session, she said: “The marriage took place with my consent and I accept him as my husband in obedience to my father.”
The child’s statement was not the only surprise of the day. The girl’s divorced mother also dropped a bombshell by withdrawing the lawsuit she had filed to annul her daughter’s marriage to the 80-year-old man.
The girl’s mother has now added a condition to the marriage, that her daughter must be allowed to complete her education and that her former husband should drop previous cases he had filed against her. Also, she stipulated that she be given custody over her son.
Sources said mediation is taking place between representatives of the girl’s father and mother to settle the case amicably.
Judicial sources have confirmed that the girl’s father has asked the judge to withdraw her case. The mother would also withdraw the case she filed at the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR) opposing the marriage, according to the sources.
Questions are now being asked about the dramatic change in the course of the matter. Saleh Al-Dubaibi, a lawyer who has been hired by the Mawaddah Charitable Society, said that the mother had not informed him personally that she had dropped her case. She had also not notified the NSHR either.
“Mediation is going on now between the girl’s divorced father and mother aiming to contain the matter and prevent it from being given too much attention in the media, as it has become a public opinion case.”
The lawyer said there should be laws preventing marriage of underage girls to old men because it is the children who become the victims.
“There are people who are trying to exploit public opinion to achieve personal goals,” stressing that the case “necessitates enacting laws that curb marriage of underage girls.” He said the girl was still a child even though she appeared to be physically mature. As she was still a child, she could be influenced easily, he said.
“She is the age of his great grandchildren,” he said.
The marriage was solemnized in September 2009 and the wedding ceremony took place a few weeks ago.
Saudi Arabia has no laws preventing underage marriages. Plans are under way to prevent this from happening with a law that will raise the age of marriage of girls to between 16 and 18 years. – Okaz/SG
18 Comments have been posted. Post Your Comments
» Campaign against child marriage | Aziz Moeed posted...
Distressing, to start the beginning of the end of such incidents a strict law in addition to a good campaign against child marriage with the involvement of the Imam of local mosques, head of the tribes and families along with NGOs is necessary.To begin starts campaigning from school to mosque sermons and to every functions and marriage halls etc.,Print and electronic media can also play an important role otherwise how many times the court, NSHR comes into the picture to intervene such marriage.
» Abused By So Many | Robyn Graves posted... After recent events, the 12 year old girl should be rescued from all of these irresponsible adults by whatever social welfare organization Saudi has. Of course she changes her mind under the influence of adults. Molested by her "husband" and molested by a system that has not protected her. This is outrageous. Children in this society have been abandoned to individual whims. They are treated as property to be bought and sold. Taken and Thrown away. Arabia? Your children are crying.
» legalized pedophelia | shana badawi posted... This girl is a child! If her own parents are not going to protect her from a pedophile, then the legal system should. A woman in KSA cannot marry a man without the constent of her father or kafeel, but the law is going to allow a 12 year old girl to make a discision on whether she stays married to pedophile or not? There is definitely something wrong wih the system if this is allowed to happen. Please protect the children from these pedophiles who are harming them!!!!
» This is so wrong! | Red Rose posted... The child was clearly forced by her father to accept that old man as her husband. Can anyone honestly believe that marrying a little girl to an adult/old man is right? This story saddens and sickens me. The only light at the end of the tunnel is that she will probably be a widow before she is 15.
» | El Docca posted... I don't understand. Is it not written in the Koran that this is acceptable? You all are displaying your racism and intolerance of Islam!
» | Stergeye posted... Sad. This child is being used as a bargaining chip by both of her parents. If her own mother is willing to sell her out to gain legal advantages in her own suit, and her father is willing to sell her to an old lecher, what options does she have? Her compliance is resignation of hope. May God have mercy on her.
» Multiculturalism | Richard Ball posted... Those who favor multiculturalism have no basis for opposing this marriage.
» | Jenny posted... I'll bet that poor girl never sees a penny of the money that her father is "holding for her"!
» Yeeeesh | Ron posted... Some culture. And the west is called decadent.
» @El Docca | Red Rose posted... Are you being serious?? You really shouldn't display your ignorance in public. It is written in the Koran that people in the past used camels for transport. Does that mean that Saudis of 2010 should give up their cars and use camels because it was acceptable according to the Koran? No, just as Saudis of 2010 should not be marrying children because it was allowed in the past!
» A Cute Small Doll | Aamir Qurreshi posted... A small cute girl who does not even know the meaning of marriage n become a widow ... only because of money some one try to kill the emotions, the feelings ,the humanity .. n the person who pay the money also did not think even what he is going to do ..... very sad, May GOD give her n the rest of the childrens in the world on which our eyes n ears still not yet reached a save shelter n respect for thier better brighter future, girls r not only for the marriages..........
» changing marriage age to 18 won't help | kmtt posted... Raising the age of marriage for girls to 16 -18 years old will not help. Women in Saudi Arabia are never officially considered "adults" - able to make their own decisions - they are always children and are at least officially under the control of their male guardians. My impression is that girls are not raised to be adults (i.e. make their own decisions) so at 18 they are not any more able to stand up to those who would misuse them as they were at 12.There was no justice done in this case.
» | Joel Steele posted... Everybody is making a big fuss about this when they shouldn't. There is nothing wrong with an old man marrying a 12 year old girl. Many girls are ready for marriage at the age of twelve. It is not a bad thing and there should not be laws preventing young girls from being married. The is nothing wrong with an old man marrying a twelve year old girl. What is wrong is having sex with an unmarried girl.
» Sick | Lamees posted... Joel Steele, you are clearly a disgusting paedophile.
» Please resist feminism. | MikeeUSA posted... Females are commonly able to have children at age 12, 13, 14.
This is the law of nature and of God.
Young females of childbearing age should be married to Men. Those here who oppose this marraige are enemies of bothe Men, Nature, and God:
they are women's rights activists / feminists.
Please, Saudi Arabia, destroy these enemies. It is the most supreme pleasure for a man to have a sweet young bride.
In most of the world this pleasure has been stolen away from Men by women's rights activists.
» Awful | Lamees posted... MikeeUSA:Females may be able to have children at 12 years of age, but so can males. Why is it that little girls are forced to marry adult men, but boys are not forced to marry adult women or even girls their own age? The answer is that perverted old men make the rules. I'm sure most disgusting old perverts want a "sweet young bride", but these young brides want a handsome YOUNG husband not a flabby old man who will be dead before she has reached 15 years of age. Very sad state of affairs.
» | MikeeUSA posted... Awful: unfortunatly, men make the rules in less and less places as democracy and women's rights spread. It is wonderful when a man aquires a nice young bride to be his toy. It makes him very happy. It is better still when the society requires her to obey him in all things. This will soon be lost from Saudia UNLESS Saudia quickly works to contain, stop, and reverse the spread of women's rights. Saudia: You fought communism, now fight for men's liberty. Our world is ending.
» Shocked | Elle posted... MikeeUSA: So are you saying that it is WRONG for women to have equal rights to men? And, you called women "toys". You are putting women off as just being "toys" of men. That is just disrespectful. Women have come very far, and SHOULD have rights. Lamees, I agree fully. MikeeUSA, learn to live in the world of TODAY where women have rights, and women marry men THEIR age.
RSS Feeds 
