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.

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