MAIL ONLINE: A 13-year-old Yemeni girl died of internal injuries four days after a family-arranged marriage, a human rights group said.
Elham Mahdi Shoi, from Hajja province, northwest of the capital San'a, died on April 2, four days after her marriage to a 23-year-old man, said Majed al-Madhaji, a spokesman for the Sisters Arab Forum for Human Rights.
Authorities detained the husband.
Sigrid Kaag, regional director for UNICEF, said in a statement that the United Nations child agency was 'dismayed by the death of yet another child bride in Yemen'.
'Elham is a martyr of abuse of children's lives in Yemen and a clear example of what is justified by the lack of limits on the age of marriage,' SAF said in a statement.
A medical report from al-Thawra hospital said she suffered a tear to her genitals and severe bleeding.
The Yemeni rights group said the girl was married off in an agreement between two men to marry each other's sisters to avoid having to pay expensive bride-prices.
The practice of marrying young girls is widespread in Yemen and drew the attention of international rights groups seeking to pressure the government to outlaw child marriages.
Legislation that would make it illegal for those under the age of 17 to marry is in serious peril after strong opposition from some of Yemen's most influential Islamic leaders. >>> Mail Foreign Service | Friday, April 09, 2010
