In Hardh, a city in northwestern Yemen near the border with Saudi Arabia, a disturbing event has brought to light the cruel reality of child marriage in the region. This tragic case has highlighted the dire consequences of a deeply rooted but extremely harmful cultural practice.

An eight-year-old girl has died after suffering severe internal injuries on her wedding night. What was supposed to be the beginning of a new phase in her life turned into the tragic end of her short life. Her husband, 40 years her senior, is now the focus of demands for justice and accountability from human rights groups, as reported by Lebanese newspaper An-Nahar.

This case highlights a sad reality that is repeated not only in Yemen, but also in other parts of the world. Child marriage is a common practice in several regions of the Middle East and South Asia, where it is culturally expected that girls marry young.

It is estimated that in many of these areas, half of all girls are married before they reach the age of majority. Several NGOs have been fighting to bring this issue to the international debate, in the hope of eliminating child marriage and its devastating consequences.

According to the United Nations Population Fund, between 2011 and 2020, more than 140 million girls could be forced into marriage before the age of 18. Many of them are under the age of 15. In Yemen, one in four girls is married before the age of 15, according to recent reports.

Stories like that of Laila, a 13-year-old girl forced to marry an older man, are examples of how serious this practice can be. Stories like Laila’s are warnings about forced marriages and their direct impacts on the safety, health and well-being of these girls.