A 70-year-old man and a 15-year old girl were married in Saudi Arabia after the girl’s parents reportedly sold her to the man for $20,000 (N3.1m). According to CNN, the marriage was made public after the man filed a complaint that his wife had been returned to her parents who are Yemeni and Saudi, and that he had been swindled. Authorities believe the young girl may have gotten into a physical altercation with her elderly husband, which prompted her return home.The case has prompted members of the Human Rights Commission as well as other activist groups to further their push for setting a minimum age for betrothal in these countries. They have proposed that anyone under the age of 18 get legal consent to marry. This has been met with longstanding resistance from conservative religious groups. [VN]
