YEMEN: New Yemen Marriage Law 'Needs Awareness Campaigns'February 16th 2009 A new Yemen law that limits the minimum age of marriage to 17 was welcomed by child-rights organizations, but they said it would require rigorous awareness campaigns in order to stamp out the widespread phenomenon of child marriages. The Yemenite parliament approved the law last Wednesday, limiting the age of marriage for both boys and girls to a minimum of 17. Parents who marry off younger children will be jailed for a year or fined the equivalent of about $500. Child marriages, particularly for girls, are a long-standing problem in Yemen, where parents strive to marry off their daughters early in order to protect the girls' honor. Ahmad Al-Qurashi, director of the 'San'aa-based Seyaj Organization for the Protection of Children, says the problem is especially common in rural areas where education is lacking and the economic situation is poor. He estimates there are currently tens of thousands of married underage girls in Yemen. It is a problem rarely discussed and is entrenched in religious and cultural norms. The authorities have many tools at their disposal to increase awareness about the dangers of underage marriages and stamp out deeply rooted cultural norms, Al-Qurashi says. This would include using broadcast media, which is mostly state-run, schools and mosque sermons to stress that child marriages are wrong. "People are trying to disguise this practice in a religious light, or they say it's part of the society's traditions," he told The Media Line. "But we think the religious aspect here is very mistaken. They say that when the Prophet Muhammad married his wife, 'Aisha, she was nine years old. This was a matter pertaining to the prophet alone, and it does not require necessarily that we do it as well." Al-Qurashi adds that recent events suggest implementation will not be easy. Members of parliament who oppose the new law on religious grounds have been mobilizing their supporters to demonstrate against it in the capital, he says. Several cases of child brides have drawn international attention, increasing pressure on 'San'aa to make the practice illegal. Recently, the story of a 10-year-old Yemenite girl made international headlines, as she independently sought a divorce from her 30-year-old husband who she said was beating and raping her. Child-rights organizations say young marriages deprive children of their childhood, especially when girls are prepared for motherhood at such a young age. Under the new law, no child under the age of 17 will be married, unless their marriage is seen by a judge to be in the best interests of the child. Also, the law stipulates that no marriage can take place, at any age, without the consent of the woman. Observers believe the new law will promote better education and health for both men and women in Yemen and will help the country's development. The law coincided with several legal amendments concerning women and children, including facilitating pre-marital checkups for genetic faults, regulating polygamy and granting more rights to divorced women. Source: The Media Line 16 February 2009 http://www.themedialine.org/news/news_detail.asp?NewsID=24270 |