Court terminates 8-year-old girl's marriage

Comment #12

justxploring — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 06:57:39 GMT

time*treat, I'm sure Angel didn't post this to start a debate, so I'll try to keep this brief. In no way am I trying to enlighten you. I don't have the rest of my life to post here. This article is talking about Yeman where girls who reach puberty can be sold for $250. Do you think that birth control is readily available to women? Sorry, Mrs. Reagan, but sometimes it's not as easy as just saying "no."

Comment #11

jarasan — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 00:42:34 GMT

At least in Texas the Feds weren't involved and they didn't burn down any buildings and kill dozens of people like the Feds did in Waco.

Comment #10

time*treat — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 23:56:26 GMT

Fine jxp. Enlighten *this* bubble dweller as to how someone (or their tribe) could think that if they struggle to feed *one* child, that having 3, 4, or 5 more will alleviate their poverty. If you had gone to bed hungry as a child, it seems to me that somewhere along the line you'd say "I'm going to make sure my kids don't go through this."

Comment #9

justxploring — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 20:04:15 GMT

Thank you for that post, Tenaj. When I answered you, time*treat, I was referring to Yeman (since that's what this article is about) and other countries. Sounds as if many people here live in their own bubble and have no idea what it's like to be trapped in a world of poverty. There are people living all over the world in makeshift shelters with dirt floors.

Comment #8

Tenaj — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 15:24:28 GMT

I grew up in a family of 15. I have 12 other siblings and even though I've not a thief now, I stole food many times as a child from being hungry and will miss my chair in dizziness oftentimes in school from being hungry. If it hadn't been for the kindness and generosity of other people I wouldn't have shoes and clothes to wear to school. But when I turned 14 and was able to get a work permit, I worked to helped my situation and is a well adjusted successful adult... [ More ]

Comment #7

pacattack05 — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 04:41:16 GMT

God.....Priceless! Whassuuuuuppp?...God? That's not a Gecko, a Geico, or a caveman...That's God. American Idol. <br

Comment #6

konane — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:13:58 GMT

Time*treat I agree with you but believe I've read that if you leave certain religions you write your own death sentence ... the killing is justified by those beliefs.

Comment #5

time*treat — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 00:02:56 GMT

Well, yes, it's clear that some people would rather beg or steal than work. My thought is that healthy children, able to work, would bring in more money than crippled children begging for alms. What do you get when the entire society tries to live on charity? If my 'religion' had kept my family in poverty generation after generation, I'd be looking for a new "God".

Comment #4

justxploring — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 21:29:46 GMT

time*treat, in some countries and in some religions, women are considered to be commodities or property, so I doubt if they'd look at it that way. I've seen documentaries where healthy children are crippled so when they beg they'll take in more money.

Comment #3

time*treat — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:03:08 GMT

You'd think they would have figured out that if they didn't have 6 or 7 kids apiece, they would have less "poverty" and less pressure to marry their children off.

Comment #2

justxploring — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 17:47:19 GMT

This might be going on right here in the United States, but they're having a very hard time proving it. This little 8 year old girl was very brave to come forward.

Comment #1

spy153 — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:48:01 GMT

God I'm glad to be American!

Original Blog Entry: Court terminates 8-year-old girl's marriage

angelm — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:45:36 GMT

Court terminates 8-year-old girl's marriage

SANAA (Reuters) - A Yemeni court ordered the marriage of an eight-year-old girl terminated on Tuesday because she had not reached puberty.

The court also ordered the child's family to pay about $250 in compensation to the 30-year-old ex-husband.

The girl's lawyer and human rights activist Shatha Nasser said the minor had filed a suit in April asking for divorce and told the court that her husband had been physically abusing her and forcing her to have sex with him after hitting her.

One of the people attending the trial volunteered to pay the compensation, the lawyer said, but did not explain the reason why the court ordered the compensation.

The ruling terminated the marriage instead of granting a divorce to prevent the husband from seeking to reinstate the marriage, according to the lawyer.

Many minor girls in Arab countries that observe tribal traditions are married to older husbands but not before puberty. Such marriages are also driven by poverty in countries like Yemen, one of the poorest countries outside Africa.

... [ More ]