This report covers a public seminar organized by Seyaj on 28 April 2008 that brought together religious scholars, lawyers, media voices, and health specialists to discuss child marriage in Yemen.
Participants agreed on the grave health, social, economic, and legal harm caused by child marriage, and criticized the Personal Status Law for failing to set a clear minimum age for marriage or effective penalties for violations. Speakers called for amending the law so that no marriage can be concluded before the age of eighteen and for penalties against guardians, husbands, and marriage registrars who break the law.
Religious scholars participating in the seminar emphasized that forcing a minor girl into marriage is not valid and described child marriage as a serious injustice. Legal and medical speakers also highlighted the educational loss, psychological harm, health risks, and social pressures linked to early marriage, while stressing that poverty and harmful social norms are major drivers of the practice.
The seminar presented child marriage not as a private family matter but as a broader development, rights, health, and public-policy issue that demands legal reform and sustained public awareness.
