8-Year-Old Yemeni Child Bride Dies On Wedding Night

An 8-year-old Yemeni child bride died on the first night of her marriage with a 40-year-old man, several news sites reported early this week.

8-Year-Old Yemeni Child Bride Dies On Wedding Night

The young girl, identified only by the name Rawan, is believed to have suffered a tear to her genitals and severe bleeding after sleeping with her middle-aged husband. The incident took place in the city of Hardh in the Governorate of Hajjah in northwestern Yemen.

According to the Gulf News, local security officials and journalists in the area denied the reports regarding the death of the 8-year-old bride but Mohammad Radman, a freelance journalist from the province who first reported the story, argued that he has sources and that the local officials are "trying to bury the story."

The Reuters, which also ran the story, was able to interview Arwa Othman, head of Yemen House of Folklore and a leading rights campaigner, who confirmed Rawan's death.

The practice of marrying young girls is widespread in Yemen. Poor families are forced to marry off young daughters to save on the costs of bringing up a child and earn extra money from the dowry given to the girl. The belief that a young bride can be shaped into an obedient wife, bear more children and be kept away from temptation also plays a role.

Based on government and UN data, nearly 14 percent of Yemeni girls were married before the age of 15 and 52 percent before the age of 18.