12-year-old wife dies in childbirth

[Specially Cork]

Crazy middle-east at it again...

The head of the U.N. children's agency said Monday that the tragic death of a 12-year-old Yemeni after three days in labor underscores the urgent need to better protect the rights of girls and prevent child marriages.

Fawziya Abdullah Youssef died of severe bleeding on Friday while giving birth to a stillborn child in the al-Zahra district hospital of Hodeida province, 140 miles (223 kilometers) west of the capital San'a. Youssef was only 11 when her father married her to a 24-year-old man who works as a farmer in Saudi Arabia, Ahmed al-Quraishi, chairman of the Siyaj human rights organization, said Saturday.

UNICEF Executive Director Ann Veneman expressed sadness at Fawziya's untimely death.

"Child marriage denies girls of their childhood, deprives them of an education and robs them of their innocence," she said in a statement.

Child marriages are widespread in Yemen, the Arab world's poorest country, where tribal customs dominate society. More than a quarter of the country's females marry before age 15, according to a recent report by the Social Affairs Ministry.

In February, Yemen's parliament passed a law setting the minimum marriage age at 17. But some lawmakers are trying to kill the measure, calling it un-Islamic. Before it could be ratified by Yemen's president, they forced it to be sent back to parliament's constitutional committee for review.

Veneman said "the younger the girl is when she becomes pregnant, the greater the health risks for her and her baby."

Girls who give birth before the age of 15 are five times more likely to die in childbirth than women in their 20s, she said.

"Tragedies like these underscore the urgent need to better protect the rights of women and children, particularly girls," Veneman said. "Child marriages are often a result of poverty and ignorance. More must be done to address the underlying causes in order to prevent tragic deaths like those of 12-year-old Fawziya and her baby."

Absolutely disgusting. It's hard to keep a postive and open mind about Islam when the countries that practice it purely create a society that clashes with so many of my values.

[Stormwatch]

It's hard to keep a postive and open mind about Islam when the countries that practice it purely create a society that clashes with so many of my values.

Why bother? Just assume the worst about Islam, and you'll be the closest to reality.

[Lartrak]

Well, it is worth noting nothing in Islam really condemns nor condones child marriage... Except Mohammed marrying a 6-year old, who is supposed to have lived the life closest to the ideal as possible.

Not any different than the Old Testament though, all the biblical religions are textually on about the same level.

[Christuserloeser]

Well, from my impression the Old Testament is used for study by most Jews, while the Qur'an is way too often taken literally. - It probably wouldn't be wrong to compare it to Christianity and the Catholic church before the crusades.

[pavelbure]

It's hard to keep a postive and open mind about Islam when the countries that practice it purely create a society that clashes with so many of my values.

Why bother? Just assume the worst about Islam, and you'll be the closest to reality.

pretty much.

[Chilly Willy]

Also note that until just the last decade or so, most states in the US allowed marriage as young as 10 with parental consent. It varied by state, with some being 12, and a few being 14. Most states are now 16 or 17 with parental consent. So don't be Holier-than-Thou when we only JUST got around to changing that aspect of the law ourselves.

[Specially Cork]

Also note that until just the last decade or so, most states in the US allowed marriage as young as 10 with parental consent. It varied by state, with some being 12, and a few being 14. Most states are now 16 or 17 with parental consent. So don't be Holier-than-Thou when we only JUST got around to changing that aspect of the law ourselves.

Did they allow marriages as young as 10 without the child's consent? And could they legally engage in sexual relations? Because that's what we're dealing with here.

[Stormwatch]

The USA turned to the other extreme: touch anyone under 18, it's jail to you!

[Stryfe]

Also note that until just the last decade or so, most states in the US allowed marriage as young as 10 with parental consent. It varied by state, with some being 12, and a few being 14.

These were most likely legal throwback loopholes from the 18-19 centuries. If someone had actually abused these loopholes there would be a backlash, with a quick revision of the appropriate laws. Even if the USA was guilty of the same crime, you'd still have to speak out against this happening in Yemen and the US, and not just roll over because someone cried hypocrisy.

According to history books up until the fundamentalist Islamic revolts in the 70's, things had been steadily getting better following World War II. Now it's no surprise to hear of human rights violation coming out of the middle east, or more generally Islamic run states/countries. They just don't care about human rights, unless it's beneficial to the upper ruling classes.

[Chilly Willy]

Also note that until just the last decade or so, most states in the US allowed marriage as young as 10 with parental consent. It varied by state, with some being 12, and a few being 14.

These were most likely legal throwback loopholes from the 18-19 centuries. If someone had actually abused these loopholes there would be a backlash, with a quick revision of the appropriate laws. Even if the USA was guilty of the same crime, you'd still have to speak out against this happening in Yemen and the US, and not just roll over because someone cried hypocrisy.

When I was living in Virginia (was in Jr High at the time), I noticed it was common for girls to be married before 16. Youngest wedding I saw while there was 13. So it wasn't a throwback, it was common for rural areas. The more rural a place is, the more you'll see things like that.

[Lartrak]

The USA turned to the other extreme: touch anyone under 18, it's jail to you!

Eh, that's by state. In my home state (Michigan) it's 16.

[Chilly Willy]

The USA turned to the other extreme: touch anyone under 18, it's jail to you!

Eh, that's by state. In my home state (Michigan) it's 16.

It's also by profession in most states - if your job puts you in a position of authority over the person, the age then goes back up to age of majority. That's what gets teachers who sleep with otherwise legal high school girls/boys.

[Quzar]

The USA turned to the other extreme: touch anyone under 18, it's jail to you!

Eh, that's by state. In my home state (Michigan) it's 16.

It's also by profession in most states - if your job puts you in a position of authority over the person, the age then goes back up to age of majority. That's what gets teachers who sleep with otherwise legal high school girls/boys.

But that often has nothing to do with age. In many states it's statutory rape for a therapist or psychologist to have sex with a patient.

[Chilly Willy]

The USA turned to the other extreme: touch anyone under 18, it's jail to you!

Eh, that's by state. In my home state (Michigan) it's 16.

It's also by profession in most states - if your job puts you in a position of authority over the person, the age then goes back up to age of majority. That's what gets teachers who sleep with otherwise legal high school girls/boys.

But that often has nothing to do with age. In many states it's statutory rape for a therapist or psychologist to have sex with a patient.

Yes, certain professions make it illegal regardless of the age. It's the degree of authority over the person that is the factor.