AFGHANISTAN
The Freethinker
Afghan Muslim cleric Mohammad Karim has been arrested after marrying a six-year-old girl.
According to this report, Karim – thought to be in his sixties – defended the marriage, saying she was a “religious offering” to him.
However, her parents claim she was abducted without their consent from the Herat province.
He is being held by authorities in the central Ghor province, while investigations are underway.
Head of the Women Affairs Department in Ghor, Masoom Anwari, said:
This girl does not speak, but only repeats one thing: ‘I am afraid of this man’.
The legal age for marriage in Afghanistan is 16 for women and 18 for men. However, child marriages continue to be common, particularly in rural areas.
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