Brave 8 y/o girl gets out of abusive marriage !

by Rabbit 12 Replies latest watchtower child-abuse

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  Rabbit

  We read, write and shed tears over the plight of sexually abused girls & boys. They suffer at the hands of not only authority figures like elders, priests, teachers, but also relatives and of course, strangers.

  But, reading the following story is even, if possible, more chilling. State sponsored child abuse! In normal civil societies the government offers at the least punishment, after the fact, but in Yemen and others -- they cannot even complain about it.

  I have such immense admiration for the brave heart this little girl has...to risk so much to stop this abuse.

  It also sickens me that her ex-husband got NO punishment whatsoever...instead he was rewarded with "compensation."

  Shit. Tell me again how much Jah, Zeus or the Flying Spaghetti Monster -- loves us ???

  http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080415/od_nm/girl_dc;_ylt=Av4uJ.sfKTL4MDx7HHw2otSek3QF

  

  Back to Story - Help

  Court terminates 8-year-old girl's marriage

  Tue Apr 15, 1:21 PM ET

  A Yemeni court ordered the marriage of an eight-year-old girl terminated on Tuesday because she had not reached puberty.

  The court also ordered the child's family to pay about $250 in compensation to the 30-year-old ex-husband.

  The girl's lawyer and human rights activist Shatha Nasser said the minor had filed a suit in April asking for divorce and told the court that her husband had been physically abusing her and forcing her to have "sex with him after hitting her."

  One of the people attending the trial volunteered to pay the compensation, the lawyer said, but did not explain the reason why the court ordered the compensation.

  The ruling terminated the marriage instead of granting a divorce to prevent the husband from seeking to reinstate the marriage, according to the lawyer.

  Many minor girls in Arab countries that observe tribal traditions are married to older husbands but not before puberty. Such marriages are also driven by poverty in countries like Yemen, one of the poorest countries outside Africa.

  (Reporting by Mohamed Sudam; writing by Inal Ersan)

  Copyright © 2008 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
• 

  Gill

  There is something mentally, emotionally and spiritually wrong with a whole group / race / nation of people who do not understand that raping anyone, let alone children is wrong!

  What is the matter with this people?

  Is their religion and mentality so warped that they cannot grasp this?

  This is a disturbing and disgusting reflection on religion, culture and tradition that shows why all three need microscopic examination and total elimination if they do not meet the moral standards of protection of the rights of ALL that we come to accept and expect!

  Thanks for sharing this article, Rabbit, even though it is so sickening!

  That young girl had more intelligence and moral fibre than all the older people, including the judges, her parents and her 'husband' / rapist! Yet just because she is a female she is the lowest of the low! Shame on all these people who conspired to treat her so badly.

  This world makes me sick!
• 

  stillajwexelder

  words fail me - Allah be praised -sicko
• 

  Country Girl

  I was only 15 when my Grandmother tried to fix me up with 38 year old Toronto baker who was our same race. I told her not "no" but "hell no" and she proceeded to throw a huge sugarbowl at my head, and knocked me straight out. I was 18, and wasn't married, and I was considered an "old maid." I always got the feeling my parents wanted me to get married at 14, and get the hell out of their house. Nothing new.
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  yknot

  Arranged marriages like this one is common throughout the Arab world. In parts of Africa when a girl starts her period she is marriage material to trade for goods. Though some are put up for marriage because families are too poor to feed them.

  Realistically speaking though I don't think Mary would have been much older then 14 or 15 when she gave birth to Jesus. As lifespan lengthens so does our opinion of maturation. I personally don't know many college kids under 24 that I would refer to as an 'adult'.
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  Country Girl

  When yer a 15 year old Jehoover, you don't know much. I was horrified! She was doing her "job" fixing me up with an old man. Ick. It was worth a sugar bowl in the head. Then my Mom tried to arrange a relationship with an Arab, and I was blown away. I don't even go there anymore. Ugh..

  CG
• 

  Rabbit

  Gill

  That young girl had more intelligence and moral fibre than all the older people, including the judges, her parents and her 'husband' / rapist! Yet just because she is a female she is the lowest of the low! Shame on all these people who conspired to treat her so badly.

  Maybe there are some 'winds of change' coming. I cannot imagine the social, religious and family pressures this little girl stood up against to bring this to court. It's surprising she got thru this alive -- so far.

  But, the changing winds are slight and the bad ones are still blowing from from the religious leaders and their ancient customs. The fact that the 'judge' could hear about the rapes, beatings and other abuses...then, rule to have him paid "compensation"...for the loss of his child bride sex toy...is... well, I don't have the words to describe the sick feeling I have right now.

  Rabbit
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  WTWizard

  Something tells me that these marriages were not volitionally initiated by the people that are directly involved.
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  greendawn

  That's the Arabic Islamic way of thinking and culture for you, the prophet himself got married to a nine year old girl when he was fifty and she was his 9th wife. They follow his example.
• 

  BurnTheShips

  That's the Arabic Islamic way of thinking and culture for you, the prophet himself got married to a nine year old girl when he was fifty and she was his 9th wife. They follow his example.

  Cultural practice, Far older than Islam. The religion merely codifies and calcifies.

  Burn