Early marriage in Yemen

Yemen observer sheds light on early marriage from time to time, the reasons behind it, the consequences and the difficulties that result from it. In Yemen and in particular the province of Thamar there are calls for its end rescuing childhood innocence from early marriage is taking a higher priority.

DAMAR- Yemen observer has shed light on the subject and raised awareness about child marriage which is illegal under Yemeni law and a rights abuse against children.  What are the motives, problems, and social and economic complexes that make parents sacrifice their daughters.
 
The percentage of child marriages in Yemen amounted to 65 percent, according to a Sana’a university study. It is due to poverty, culture, mistaken beliefs and the social complexes that are rampant among individuals that are not easily dissolved, especially in rural areas and villages. The phenomenon is widely spread throughout the country especially the marriage of 9-12 year old girls in Thamar Governorate. Does the parents’ greed continue to destroy their minors’ innocence?
 
I met an innocent ten year old child (Thuraya) who married three months ago to a man who is her father’s age. Her father compelled her to marry, taking her dowry to pay off his debts.
 
I asked the child if she is happy, she said that she was happy at first because her mother told her that she was going to have a beautiful house, a beautiful car, jewelry, wear the white dress, and engrave her body with (henna) to show off in front of her friends, however she said she was disappointed when she saw the monster she had to marry. “I knew that  I am in a plight and hated everything, because I was ignorant what marriage was and used to think that it is only jewels, a white dress and engraving the body with (henna,).  I was not aware of the fact until after marriage and now I prefer death to living with this monster. I want to divorce him and go back to school to meet my friends, play with them and study to become a doctor. “
 
Like many other children this child is a victim of her fathers’ greed. There are thousands who find themselves in the same tragic fate and the serious consequences of marriage in terms of divorce, early pregnancy, mortality due to abortion, insolvent birth, and death due to bleeding  which kills them as their bodies are still not prepared for such physical problems.
 
We met Dr. AbdulKarim Zabiba, head of the Psychological Guide and Care Center, Professor of psycho therapy at Thamar University. He commented on early marriage defining it as the marriage before the legal age of 15 under  Yemeni law and 18 in many other communities.  He added that this age is characterized with, bodily, mental and emotional immaturity that affects the fate of marriage.
 
He went on to say that early marriage has psychological and social impacts on the family, because the minor has no knowledge of family burdens and the obligations towards the children as it is an age that demands care and to ask one of such an age to provide the vital care they need is too much for them.

The lack of intellectual maturity may create some sort of deformity to the values of marriage. This may cause a hysterical fit that turns into physical symptoms such as neuroticism, panic  (phobia) and may turn into symptoms of  hysterical paralysis  (Afinua).  I have treated a case resulting from early marriage of a girl who was married at the age of10 to a man who was 60 years old. She had symptoms of hysterical paralyses since her wedding night because she couldn’t understand the behavior of such a beast, because of her young age and body weakness.  This is indeed a tragedy for these children who marry at such a young age.

A teenager is in a growth period and is not prepared for any shocks or unpleasant experiences which may affect their character building and their future growth that should be free of a of any physical or mental diseases.
 
Samira Ahmed, coordinator of children›s rights and the General Manager of women›s rights in Thamar Governorate has also commented saying that the families marry off their children at young ages for economic reasons, so as to receive money and in turn abusing the minor’s rights, as well as the fear from the fathers that their daughters may become spinsters.

We are committed to spreading awareness about the seriousness of early marriage, and that a child has the right to live their early years without fear from the unknown future and to enjoy his or her childhood rights.

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