Kuwaitis have called for stringent action against a family in Yemen after their 8-year-old daughter died of internal injuries on the first night of her arranged marriage to a man more than five times her age.
Rawan died in city of Hardh in the Governorate of Hajjah in northwestern Yemen, Kuwaiti daily Al Watan reported on Sunday, quoting Yemeni media. She is believed to have suffered a tear to her private parts and severe bleeding.
In July, the Nigerian Senate failed to expunge a section in the constitution that permits child marriage in July, leading to massive protests and a nationwide campaign against child marriage.
Yemeni activists urged the local police to arrest the “beastly groom” and the girl’s family and transfer them to a court where justice would be served and the case would be used to help put an end to the practice of marrying very young girls in the impoverished country, the daily said.
