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| Afghanistan |
| Married 8 Year Old Sent to Safe House |
| 2014-09-03 |
| [Tolo News] Balkh province's Attorney General's Office for prevention of violence against women sent the eight-year-old girl who was recently married off to a 12-year-old boy to a safe house after hearing about the incident on TOLOnews. Chairwoman of Balkh's Attorney General Office Fawzia Hamidi accused TOLOnews of "baseless reporting" claiming such actions would not happen in the province of Balkh, but minutes later contradicted her statement by confirming the marriage took place. "I am surprised that a religious scholar who claims to represent Islam allowed the marriage to take place without the presence of a witness," Hamidi asserted, confirming the union happened, opposing what she exclaimed earlier. "We transferred the girl, along with her elder sister, to a safe house to ensure their safety." The girl's father has confessed to his doing, insisting that he made the decision because of poverty-stricken life. "I was compelled to marry her off so that she is taken care of and I can use the money to find a job and manage my life," Momen, the girl's father, said. A number of Balkh residents have mounted criticisms on the decisions made by the attorney general, stating that instead of sending the girls to a safe house and the father under custody, the girls should have been sent home to their father and the family been provided with support. The Chief of the Attorney General's Office in Balkh criticized the holy man who permitted the marriage to take place in the first place. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 Look for a "Defense of Marriage Act for 8 year-olds coming to the U.S." and proposed by progressives. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2014-09-03 08:28 |
| #1 I missed the part about PUBLIC CONDEMNATION OF THE PRACTICE AND ITS ADHERENTS, or social retribution against the perpetrators. |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2014-09-03 03:18 |