Saudi 12-year-old seeks divorce from 80-year-old husband
9 February 2010
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A 12-year-old Saudi girl is seeking a divorce from her 80-year-old husband with the help of the state-run Human Rights Commission.
The preteen was married last year to her elderly cousin against her and her mother’s wishes in exchange for a $30,000 dowry. It’s the first time the Saudi commission has publicly intervened in such a case, and it may signal the beginning of the end for child marriage in the nation. No minimum age currently exists for marriage.
Last year a judge refused to annul a marriage between an 8-year-old girl and a man in his 40s. Some Islamic clerics cite the Prophet Muhammad’s marriage to a 9-year-old girl 14 centuries ago as justification for child marriage today. A ruling in the case is expected within days.
