Bride Aged 8 Dies After Suffering Internal Sexual Injuries During Wedding Night With Man, 40

An eight-year-old Yemeni girl has died of internal sexual injuries after spending her wedding night with a husband five times her age.

The girl, identified as Rawan, is believed to have suffered a tear to her genitals and heavy bleeding, Kuwaiti daily newspaper Al Watan reported.

Kuwaitis have called for action against the man, who is 40, as well as the girl’s family for allowing the marriage.

The girl died in the tribal area of Hardh in northwestern Yemen, which borders Saudi Arabia.

Gulf News quotes blogger Angry Man as posting the husband is “an animal who deserved to be punished severely for his crime.”

“All those who supported such a crime should also be punished,” he added.

Al Bawaba reports over a quarter of young girls in Yemen are married before the age of 15.

It points out a law was created in the county in February 2009 setting the minimum age of marriage at 17, but it was repealed after conservative lawmakers described it as “un-Islamic”.

According to a World Vision study released in March, more child brides are being led into arranged marriages due to an increase in global poverty and crises. Parents who live in fear of natural disasters, political instability and financial ruin look to arranged marriages as a way to save their struggling families.

Every day, 39,000 girls younger than 18 will marry, according to the World Health Organization.

AOL