A 70-year-old Saudi Arabian man is disagreeing with allegations that his new wife is 15 years old according to reports by CNN on Jan. 8. He states that her family ripped him off for a large amount of money that he paid for the union. Human rights workers state that the bride is just a teenager and they are livid about what happened.
The man was interviewed by CNN on Tuesday and he said that he paid $20,000 to the girl's parents for the girl. The girl went back to her family and the man protested to the local authorities after the girl left him saying he had been ripped off by the girl's family. He also alleges that he thought the girl was 25 years old. He would not give his name to CNN.
“She is not 15 as everybody claims,” he said. “She’s 25 years old and she’s mature enough to make her own decisions… I was fooled by the girl’s family.”
The girl's father is from Yemen and her mother is a Saudi Arabian citizen, according to CNN. The family lives in Al-Hurath village in southwestern Saudi Arabia that is close to the Yemen border.
The Human Rights Commission has sent a researcher to try to offer the girl assistance if she needs it. They might be able to provide her legal assistance if she disagrees in court with the marriage. The HRC believes that anyone under the age of 18 should require permission from the court before being allowed to marry.
Whether what the man claims is true or not, the story of the girl has acquired thousands of supporters who have taken to Twitter to air their opinions on the case.
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