[Yemen Post] On the wake of Human Rights Watch... dedicated to bitching about human rights violations around the world...
annual report, Yemen Human Rights Minister Hooria Mashour decided to become vocal about her intention to sponsor a draft-law, banning child marriage for good and align Yemen with international regulations.
"I've asked parliament to look at it urgently. Child marriage is one of our top priorities in the ministry at the moment because it affects the most basic rights of children and women," the minister told Rooters in an interview.
Minister Mashour comments come as the UN Human Rights Council is set to discuss Yemen's grappling with child marriage allegations among other issues of concern. Already, Britannia, Spain and Norway have voiced their desire to see Yemen criminalize child marriage as well as embed women rights and human rights
...not to be confused with
individual rights,mind you...
in general within the text of its new constitution.
Referring to conflicting reports which alleged last year that an 8-year old schoolgirl died from internal haemorrhage on her wedding night, Minister Mahsour commented, "Whether that case is true or not true, our campaign to stop early marriage will continue ... Most early marriage happens in rural areas. Even if Rawan did not die many others do, but we rarely hear about them."
However while activists have focused their attention on securing a ban against child marriage, religious groups have argued, Yemen has much graver issues to deal with, accusing campaigners of political opportunism.
Members of al-Islah, Yemen Sunni conservative faction, have traditionally opposed the imposition of a minimum legal age on marriage as they feel the matter should be referred to religious leaders and not politicians.
Ignoring the critics, Minister Mashour stressed that as an aspiring civil state, Yemen had a duty of care towards its children.
"I receive reports all the time from families and human rights activists about cases where maidens of tender years have got married. Some bleed to death. Some have complications in pregnancy," the minister stressed, adding, "We cannot stop these marriages because there is no law, but if I had this tool in my hands I could stop them. There's nothing we can do without a law."