Yemen and Child Marriage
A bill to ban child marriage in Yemen is attracting international controversy. In Yemen roughly half of all girls are married before age 18, with some girls in rural areas married at half that age. The proposed law, which would ban the marriage of girls under the age of 17, has aroused opposition from powerful Islamic leaders who have blocked the bill, sending it back to parliament's constitutional committee for review after finding it un-Islamic. Yemen, however, is coming under mounting international pressure. Just this month a 13 year old Yemeni girl made headlines when she bled to death after being tied down and forced to have sex with her 23 year old husband. While the government has enough votes to pass the law, government officials are unwilling to challenge the conservative tribal leaders that govern Yemen's rural areas fearing war between the governing General People's Congress and the religious Islah party. A final decision on the legislation is expected at the end of this month.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36273102/ns/world_news-mideastn_africa/
http://blog.populationinstitute.org/2010/04/09/an-act-of-bravery-that-brings-hope/
http://blog.populationinstitute.org/2010/03/25/child-marriage-in-yemen/
