A 70-year-old man in Saudi Arabia is disputing claims his new bride is 15 years old, and says her family has ripped him off for the large dowry he paid for the union.

Human rights workers say the bride is a teenager and are outraged about the situation.

CNN interviewed the man Tuesday, who said he paid a dowry to the girl's parents for the equivalent of $20,000. The marriage came to light when the man complained to a local official after his new wife left him, saying the girl's family had taken her back and he'd been ripped off. He also claimed that he thought she was 25 years old.

He refused to provide his name to CNN.

[size=28pt]"She is not 15 as everybody claims," he said. "She's 25 years old and she's mature enough to make her own decisions... I was fooled by the girl's family."[/size]

In Saudi Arabia, there is no law that stipulates a minimum age for marriage.

Human rights workers say they believe there was a fight between the teen and the man, and she ran back to her family.

Her father is believed to be Yemeni, her mother Saudi, the rights workers told CNN.

She is from Al-Hurath village in Jizan province, in southwestern Saudi Arabia near the border with Yemen, according to Dr. Hadi Al-Yami, the head of the Asir branch of the Human Rights Commission. The group is backed by the Saudi government.

The commission sent an investigator to the courthouse in Al-Hurath, Al-Yami said, and is planning to offer the girl and her family as much help as she's able to receive, particularly legal help in case the courts require her to formally dispute the marriage.

Dr. Suhaila Zein al-Abedin of the Saudi National Association for Human Rights -- also a government-backed group -- voiced concern not only about the age difference, but the circumstances of the marriage.

"When you consider the very large difference in age, it looks more like this was not a marriage, but like the girl was sold," al-Abedin said. "The girl's parents need to be held responsible for this."

Some groups, such as the HRC, advocate for setting a minimum age for marriage, though they've not said what age. The group proposes that anyone younger than 18 who wants to get married should get a court's consent.

Extremely conservative religious scholars have opposed a law that would govern the age to marry.



http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/08/world/saudi-arabia-teen-marriage/index.html

Prominent Egyptian activist Mona Eltahawy tweeted, "It's only when there's enough public outrage that we can fight #childmarriage. We are not angry enough to help that 15 y/o & others like her."

Yemeni activist NoonArabia tweeted, "#ChildMarriage is a violation of human rights http://www.humanrightsdefence.org/child-marriage-as-an-human-rights-issue.html ... #RunAwayBride #PTs."

Other Egyptians took to the Web.

Kareem Bassem tweeted, "#ChildMarriage is a result of dehumanizing female humans and degrading them to 'treats' in alleged paradise. Fight dehumanization!"

how can someone thinks about marrying a 15yo girl in the first place

CAMEROONPRIDE: how can someone thinks about marrying a 15yo girl in the first place

oga abeg make you go ask Ahmed Yerima.

Its their culture and tradition. Who are we to oppose?

HELP STOP VVF TODAY...


Its evil inflicted on innocent children by old evil men.


Its evil culture and tradition that supports kid marriages.

Yerima and his likes should be stoned.

20,000 dollars?
*hugs transformer*

berem: oga abeg make you go ask Ahmed Yerima.

only the idea to have a talk with that kind of man disgust me ..

[color=#550000][/color]Islam allows it. I think some say mohammed married a 9 year old girl.

jaymichael: [color=#550000][/color]Islam allows it. I think some say mohammed married a 9 year old girl.

i wonder o!
indirectly slandering their prophet.
the 70 yr old is a true muslim.
religion of pervs!

J12: Its their culture and tradition. Who are we to oppose?

silly question

J12: Its their culture and tradition. Who are we to oppose?

In this age and time?

can someone please tell me in a clear, concise, emotionless way what is wrong with marrying at 15?

^
What is wrong here it seems against the will of the bride and some people are insinuating that her parents actually sold her off! As for marrying a 15 year old it is allowed in Vatican city the christian capital of the world but the average nlander is like an ignoramus wanting hell bent on remaining so!

Ileke-IdI:
Prominent Egyptian activist Mona Eltahawy tweeted, "It's only when there's enough public outrage that we can fight #childmarriage. We are not angry enough to help that 15 y/o & others like her."

Yemeni activist NoonArabia tweeted, "#ChildMarriage is a violation of human rights http://www.humanrightsdefence.org/child-marriage-as-an-human-rights-issue.html ... #RunAwayBride #PTs."

Other Egyptians took to the Web.

Kareem Bassem tweeted, "#ChildMarriage is a result of dehumanizing female humans and degrading them to 'treats' in alleged paradise. Fight dehumanization!"

The age of marriage in the vatican city is 14!

vedaxcool: ^
What is wrong here it seems against the will of the bride and some people are insinuating that her parents actually sold her off! As for marrying a 15 year old it is allowed in Vatican city the christian capital of the world but the average nlander is like an ignoramus wanting hell bent on remaining so!

The age of marriage in the vatican city is 14!

People are not ignorant. They are pursuing an agenda
Have you ever seen a Christian post any article that paints Islam in good light.
Even when the story is on the front page of a Nigerian Newspaper, they ignore it
But they go to the inside pages of same newspaper to fish out negative stories

As for the Vatican, is the age 14 or 13?
in "liberal" Sweden the age of consent is 15

BetaThings:

People are not ignorant. They are pursuing an agenda
Have you ever seen a Christian post any article that paints Islam in good light.
Even when the story is on the front page of a Nigerian Newspaper, they ignore it
But they go to the inside pages of same newspaper to fish out negative stories

As for the Vatican, is the age 14 or 13?
in "liberal" Sweden the age of consent is 15

True, because een after being corrected they still come here painting their ignorance . . . please check this thread out https://www.nairaland.com/1156809/muslim-man-egypt-killed-wife#13754681 another very big lie this people invented . . .

So?

CAMEROONPRIDE: how can someone thinks about marrying a 15yo girl in the first place

some people do give me cause to worry. I don't know how dey think rily. HOW CANT SOME1 TINK OF MARRING a 15yr gal in d first place? At least its MARIAGE not rape, prostitution or using her for pornography. Do u knw how many children in eastern europe r exploited for s*x? ECPAT has estimated dat dey ar btw 100,000 and 300,000 children sexually exploited yearly through prostitution and pornography in the United States alone, som in South Africa. Most of dem betw d ages of 10-15 yrs. D patronisers ar leaving wit us in d society. U DIDN'T see EVERTIN WRONG wit all dis, u open ur mouth n say sh*t. When a muslim marries(which is safer n better) den, its UNHEARD OFF,u start callin n making all sorts of coments.. U xtians always talk of tolerance bt u neva have it. Ignorant hypocrates!!!

jaymichael: Islam allows it. I think some say mohammed married a 9 year old girl.

you are dead wrong about that age! check the below thread.

Tell me why Mohammed married a young Aisha?
https://www.nairaland.com/846958/tell-me-why-mohammed-married

If this "devout" Christian had not been exposed, she might have come onto NL, commenting on the "misdeeds" of muslims
http://news.yahoo.com/mom-convicted-exploitation-graphic-nh-trial-072535687.html

:

"A New Hampshire lawyer who graduated at the top of her class and credited her success to Christianity was accused of using her 14-year-old daughter as a sexual pawn, at one point even engaging in a sexual act with the girl on camera."

If the society encourage 15 year old to have sex, then why can't she marry? Hypocracy....

hadbak:
some people do give me cause to worry. I don't know how dey think rily. HOW CANT SOME1 TINK OF MARRING a 15yr gal in d first place? At least its MARIAGE not rape, prostitution or using her for pornography. Do u knw how many children in eastern europe r exploited for s*x? ECPAT has estimated dat dey ar btw 100,000 and 300,000 children sexually exploited yearly through prostitution and pornography in the United States alone, som in South Africa. Most of dem betw d ages of 10-15 yrs. D patronisers ar leaving wit us in d society. U DIDN'T see EVERTIN WRONG wit all dis, u open ur mouth n say sh*t. When a muslim marries(which is safer n better) den, its UNHEARD OFF,u start callin n making all sorts of coments.. U xtians always talk of tolerance bt u neva have it. Ignorant hypocrates!!!

1st bold how did you figure that?
2nd bold who told you the op and those who commented against this barbaric act are christians? don't let you hate/anger agaisnt christians blind you...............yerima is a savage for such act, i doubt the girl was even consent.
3) chill man

CAMEROONPRIDE:
1st bold how did you figure that?
2nd bold who told you the op and those who commented against this barbaric act are christians? don't let you hate/anger agaisnt christians blind you...............yerima is a savage for such act, i doubt the girl was even consent.
3) chill man

.
Are u one of d paronisers? Don't be scare, I can only pray for God to have mercy on u. U jst potray wht I was talking abt..everybody knows its xtians dat has intolerance, hate n anger for muslims n u jst potrayed it by ur malicious coment "babaric act". I mean,.. Isn't It OBVIOUS, do u nid a sootsayer to tell u that d Op n d anti coments r by xtians? Are u a learner? Yerima is not ur mate/clas, he's more reasonable than u blieve me..
So u call using underage for prostitutn, molestatn n indecency as seeking their consent whn dey r nt grown enuf to make rational decisns for demslves? Smtin dey do u. pls u don't tell me to chill man, U nid it more than I do n I'm not a man.

ShiaLagos:


you are dead wrong about that age! check the below thread.

Tell me why Mohammed married a young Aisha?
https://www.nairaland.com/846958/tell-me-why-mohammed-married

Aisha ra I'd an adult

ShiaLagos:


you are dead wrong about that age! check the below thread.

Tell me why Mohammed married a young Aisha?
https://www.nairaland.com/846958/tell-me-why-mohammed-married

She is an adult