Saudi Child Bride Drops Fight to Divorce 80-Year-Old

By on February 7, 2010 in News 5

Via AFP via Google News:

RIYADH — A 12-year-old Saudi girl unexpectedly gave up her petition for divorce from an 80-year-old man her father forced her to marry in exchange for a dowry, Saudi media reported Tuesday.

Despite support from human rights lawyers and child welfare advocates, the girl and her mother, who originally sought the divorce, withdrew the case Monday in a court in Buraidah, in Al-Qasim province, newspapers said.

The girl told the court that her marriage to the man was done with her agreement, according to Okaz newspaper. “I agree to the marriage. I have no objection. This is in filial respect to my father and obedience to his wish,” she said.

Saleh al-Dabibi, a lawyer supplied by a charity group to help the girl, said her mother did not inform him of the change of heart, Okaz said.

An unnamed official of the government’s Human Rights Commission, which was originally asked by the mother to help in getting the marriage annulled, told Arab News they too were surprised by the mother and daughter dropping the case.

Read More: AFP via Google News

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  • greg

    someone must have convinced them that it was unhealthy to go against the teachings and lifestyle of the pervasive religion in that area of the world! what a terrific example this religion follows!

    • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/PDDVWRQVUPMKRGHURIEQVNYWHQ Sean

      probably figured waiting for him to die would be more effective than fighting the marriage

    • Word Eater

      Either that or her family really, really needed the dowry.

  • 5by5

    Her father is a child abuser. She’s doing this in loyalty to him, because she’s a better daughter, than he is a father. “Filial loyalty”. Pfft. Not worth it.

    Now she’s in the hands of second child abuser, the 80 year old freak who’d even CONSIDER marrying a 12 yr old.

    More rational Saudi’s need to look at something like that honestly, then explain why the rest of the world SHOULDN’T consider their laws to be batcrap crazy. Then they need to do something to change that idiocy and bring the country into the 21st Century.

  • 5by5

    Her father is a child abuser. She's doing this in loyalty to him, because she's a better daughter, than he is a father. “Filial loyalty”. Pfft. Not worth it.

    Now she's in the hands of second child abuser, the 80 year old freak who'd even CONSIDER marrying a 12 yr old.

    More rational Saudi's need to look at something like that honestly, then explain why the rest of the world SHOULDN'T consider their laws to be batcrap crazy. Then they need to do something to change that idiocy and bring the country into the 21st Century.