Why Early Marriages of Girls Need To Be Stopped In Rural Areas of Pakistan?
“Fourteen-year-old Reem, from Sanaa, was 11 years old when her father married her to her cousin, a man almost 21 years her senior. One day, Reem’s father dressed her in a niqab (the Islamic veil that covers the face, exposing only the eyes), and took her by car to Radda, 150 kilometres southeast of Sanaa, to meet her soon-to-be husband. Against Reem’s will, a quick religious marriage ensued. Three days after she was married, her husband raped her. Reem attempted suicide by cutting her wrists with a razor. Her husband took her back to her father in Sanaa, and Reem then ran away to her mother (her parents were divorced). Reem’s mother escorted her to court in an attempt to get a divorce. The judge told her, ‘We don’t divorce little girls.’ Reem replied, ‘But how come you allow little girls to get married?’ ” 1 . Incidents like this are not limited to certain area but happen in the whole world. There are many Reems in today’s world who are married at a very early age and some of them