12 Year Old Yemeni Girl Dies in Childbirth

from the Jawa Report

A government study found that 80% of Yemeni women marry prior to 19, and a quarter marry between 10-14 years old. A recent initiative to raise the marriage age to 17 was opposed by a block of religious hard liners who said a minimum marriage age contravened Sharia law.

SEYAJ PRESS RELEASE: On Friday, September 11, 2009, the girl child (Fawzia Abdullah Yusuf) aged 12 years died of complications in childbirth. SEYAJ confirmed that Fawzia of Hodeidah Governorate died after days of hard labor. She was transferred to the hospital where doctors were unable save her life.

Fawzia left school in the fourth grade and was married at 11 years of age. Her family suffers from severe poverty and her father has renal failure. At the age of 12, she conceived a child.

According to the SEYAJ volunteers, such incidents occur repeatedly and many young girls in the region die from early childbirth. However, there is little statistical data because the deaths are not monitored and documented.

The absence of laws in force settings the minimum age of marriage makes local officials powerless to prevent the marriage of children, especially female, or to punish their parents and avert the catastrophic consequences of early marriage.

Sanaa - Saturday September 12, 2009
SEYAJ Organization for Childhood Protecting
Website: www.seyaj.org

SEYAJ is a very good organization that advocates for Yemeni children in a variety of terrible situations. SEYAJ has a hotline but they are overwhelmed. Sometimes they save the kids. For others like Fawzia, the best we can say is at least someone is reporting her death. I think Fawzia's baby died too, but the release was unclear. Rest in peace, little angels.