The Seyaj Organization for Child Protection appealed to the Honorable Chief Justice of the Wasab Al-Aali Primary Court in Dhamar Governorate to annul the marriage of ten-year-old Saud Yahya Mohammed to a man in his sixties, according to available information. In a letter to the Chief Justice, Siyaj stated: Siyaj Organization for the Protection of Childhood appeals to you to review and annul the marriage contract of ten-year-old Saud Yahya Mohammed, who was married at such a young age, a marriage that is unacceptable to your sense of justice and rejected by common sense. The child attempted suicide by poisoning before seeking help from the local sheikh, as she was unwilling to marry and her consent is not legally or religiously valid, given the certain harm inflicted upon her. We also request that Your Honor punish the father, the husband, and the marriage officiant with the severest possible penalty for their abuse of a child of this age, which violates the rights of the child ratified by the Republic of Yemen. That ratification is part of its national legislation and its obligations to the international community. Your Honor, you are undoubtedly aware that marrying a child at this age and the desire of some to have sexual relations with her is an indication of a deviation and a flaw in the mentality and psyche of anyone who commits, accepts, or condones it. Remaining silent about this is complicity in a clear crime that directly infringes upon the rights of the victim and young girls in general.
