Death of a child bride.

Tied and raped by hubby, Yemeni child bride dies

AP, Apr 11, 2010, 01.17am IST

SHUEBA: A 13-year-old Yemeni child bride who died shortly after marriage was tied down and raped by her husband, her mother said.

Nijma Ahmed, 50, said late on Friday that just before her daughter lost consciousness she described how her 23-year-old husband had tied her up and forced himself on her. She bled to death hours later. Elham Assi died April 2, four days after she was married. A forensic report said her vagina and rectum were deeply ripped, causing her to hemorrhage.

The practice of marrying young girls is widespread in impoverished Yemen. Traditional families prefer young brides and poor families can be lured with hundreds of dollars in gifts. The UN child agency, UNICEF, says one of three girls in Yemen is married before the age of 18.

Tribal custom also plays a role, including the belief that a young bride can be shaped into an obedient wife, bear more children and be kept away from temptation.

Last month, a group of the country's highest Islamic authorities declared those supporting a ban on child marriages to be apostates. A February 2009 law set the minimum age for marriage at 17, but it was repealed and sent back to a parliamentary committee for review after some lawmakers called it un-Islamic.