Girl, 12, Gets Help to Divorce 80-Year-Old Husband

A 12-year-old Saudi Arabia girl who was forced to marry an 80-year-old man is receiving help from the Human Rights Commission, according to the Times of London.

The girl’s father arranged the marriage to his 80-year-old cousin against both the girl’s wishes and the wishes of her mother.  The practice of marrying young girls to older men is common for poor families in tribal areas.

But now the state-run commission is stepping in to help the girl file for divorce.  The commission has hired an attorney to represent the girl in what some people think could be a test case for banning child marriages in the country. There is currently no minimum age for marriage, which is way so many young girls from poor families are married off to sometimes much older men.

A law that would ban the practice is now being discussed in Riyadh, the country’s capital, and activists are hopeful the case could be a turning point in the country’s marriage laws. Alanoud al-Hejailan, a commission lawyer, said the case is now is in the hands of the court, but that the commission is firmly on the girl’s side.

The court is expected to rule on the case soon. If a divorce is not granted the commission said it would file an appeal.

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