Court annuls Onaizah girl?s marriage with 58-year-old

JEDDAH. May 1. KAZINFORM Saudi human rights advocates lauded yesterday a court decision this week annulling the marriage between an eight-year-old girl and a 58-year-old man who paid SR30,000 to the girl?s father in exchange for the nuptials, Kazinform refers to The Arab News.

?The marriage contract was illegal because she is a minor and her father gave his agreement without her knowledge,? said Suhaila Zain Al-Abidin, a human rights activist. On Wednesday a court issued the divorce document to end the marriage that raised the ire of many members of Saudi society and was condemned by international child rights advocates, including UNICEF. The marriage took place in Onaizah, a town in the northcentral Qassim province. The divorce came after many attempts from the governmental Human Rights Commission (HRC) and several officials in the area trying to convince the man to divorce the child, Kazinform cites The Arab News. See www.arabnews.com for full version.