Author: Khalife, Nadya
Title: “How Come You Allow Little Girls to Get Married?”: Child Marriage in Yemen
Summary: Child marriages are widespread in Yemen. Most girls marry before they reach 18, and in rural areas, some marry as young as eight. Girls are sometimes married to significantly older men. Child marriage is rare among boys. This report documents the damage of child marriage in Yemen on girls and women, a practice that perpetuates women’s status as second-class citizens. Girls are deprived of the right to decide whether, when, and whom to marry, and whether and when to have children. Child marriage cuts short girls’ education, exposes them to increased sexual and reproductive health risks, and puts them at risk of domestic violence by husbands and extended family members. The fallout persists throughout women’s lives. Yemeni demonstrators demanding the resignation of President Ali Abdullah Saleh in 2011 also called for the government to address persistent social problems. Ending forms of gender discrimination such as child marriage was among their demands, and should be a high priority for Yemen’s next leadership.
Details: New York: Human Rights Watch, 2011. 58p.
Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 26, 2012 at:
Year: 2011
Country: Yemen
URL:
Shelf Number: 123763
Keywords:
Child Marriage (Yemen)Child Protection |
