Women as commodities.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36717454 The case of a 12-year-old Saudi Arabian girl who successfully won a divorce from her 80-year-old husband could prompt the Arab kingdom to introduce a minimum marriage age, the Telegraph of London reports.
The girl was 11 when she was wed against her wishes to her father's cousin last year in an arranged marriage in her hometown of Buraidah, near the Saudi capital of Riyadh, the Telegraph reported Thursday. Her father was paid a $23,350 dowry.
Saudi Arabia has no minimum legal age for marriage and it is common in poorer, tribal areas for girls to be married off. However, it is rare for a child bride to challenge the match.
The case has prompted the Human Rights Commission to call for a legal minimum age of 16 in the kingdom. The commission and the Ministry of Justice will issue new guidelines after hearing from medical experts, child psychologists and scholars of Islamic law.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
