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The indignation spread to Somalia after an eight -year -old girl who went missing for six months, a man was found with a man who said he was her husband.
It was reported that the girl disappeared without her family in the semi -automatic region Puntland last September.
A few months later, it appeared that the girl’s father agreed to marry an adult named after Sheikh Mahmud.
Security forces surrounded the man’s house last week and made them pass after he looked in the room with the girl.
The incident caused anger in social media and public protests in Somalia Mogadish.
It also provoked new discussions on the laws on the protection of children, as there is currently no minimum legal age for marriage.
“What is more shocking than the tragedy itself is allegations of abduction, and the fact that her family did not know about her location for months,” said the BBC Fadumo Ahmed, chairman of the leading law Argany.
“We trust the responsible institution to accept the right and necessary legal actions.”
According to the uncle of the age of the age, she was taken from her home in Bosas in September last year. This relative said she accompanied the baby on the trip to see another uncle.
But a few months later, a video appeared on the Internet, showing a girl who reads the Quran.
After her, the family launched the search for the baby – it is unclear why they didn’t do so before.
They found that she was in the area of Karma, lives with Sheikh Mahmoud.
Sheikh Mahmoud initially said he teaches the girl the Quran. But after legal complaints were filed, he changed the statement, saying he had married a girl with his father’s consent.
When asked by the BBC, he justified marrying the age of eight, Sheikh Mahmoud said that the traditions of Prophet Islam Muhammad, as well as the Safia’s opinion school, were married to the child.
Once the BBC asked about his reasoning – with reference to the opposition of many Somali Islamic scientists – Sheikh Mahmoud claimed not to give up marriage.
Police Puntland and human rights bodies intervened on March 25, taking a girl from a man’s house after her family filed a complaint.
Now the girl is back with her family, BBC Puntland said.
In addition, the investigation of the case was initiated, state officials said.
The marriage of children remains common in Somalia.
According to a report published in 2020, the United Nations Population and Somali Government, 35% of women aged 20 to 24 were married to 18 years old. In 2017, this figure was 45%.
The child’s marriage rate is due to various factors, including poverty, uncertainty and traditional customs that often ignore the girl’s age in wedding agreements.
In an attempt to resolve this issue, the Ministry of Women and Human Rights in Somalia in 2023 presented a draft bill on the child.
However, the proposal was sent after the deputies objected to certain provisions. The bill is expected to be entered again, but there is no clear term.
