Early marriage threatens Yemeni society

Setting the minimum age for marriage to 18 has been a hotly debated topic since its initial proposal in 2000. The recent decision of the Committee of Legalising Islamic Sharia in the Parliament to reject the proposal has sparked much opposition from child protection organisation and human rights groups. 

Following the recent rejection the marriage age is set to remain at 15 yrs.  We at the Observer have followed the case closely and believe that early marriage does not only cause problems for the individuals involved but also raises serious issues regarding society.   

The recent decision means that the forces acting against early marriage will be limited to the girl’s guardian who will remain the primary decision maker in assessing whether the girls is physically and psychologically prepared for marriage. Although guardians should clearly have the child’s best interests at heart the recent case of Nujood only seeks to highlight how child marriage continues to be practised to the extreme within our countries borders.  

We at the Observer believe that children have the right to their youth free from the responsibilities that come with marriage. What makes the situation worse is that child brides give birth at an early age which incurs additional problems of not knowing how to raise their children appropriately as these brides are still children themselves. 

Critics against the decision of the Committee of Legalising Islamic Sharia in the Parliament blame religious, tribal and community leaders that remain firmly against the idea of setting a legal minimum marriage age, saying it would contradict Islamic principles. 

According to a 2007 report issued by the International Centre for Research on Women (ICRW), Yemen ranked 13 out of the 20 worst countries in terms of the prevalence of child marriage, with 48.4 percent of women under 18 being married. Additionally a recent internal study on Yemen’s maternal health shows that around a third of women in Yemen give birth to more than 5 children before their thirties, women as a result age fast and husbands will often seek a second wife if their first is no longer able to reproduce which can only further decrease a women’s self-worth. 

Parliament and government must to do something to acknowledge and approve the increase in marriage age in line with that of developed countries.  Only then can we speak of a healthy generation.  Such an increase would not be alien to the Arabian Peninsula with Oman and Syria setting the age limits at 18 and 17 respectively. 

It remains to be seen if civil society organisations can continue their efforts to fight this major issue with the newly elected parliament following this Aprils election.   There is a strong demand for the age of marriage to be increased to 18 in order to create a healthy generation of families that can successfully contribute to society.

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