8 year old married to 47 year old.

http://caffertyfile.blogs.cnn.com/2009/04/13/saudi-judge-refuses-to-annul-marriage-of-8-year-old-girl/

This article just disgusts me. In Saudi Arabia a judge is refusing to allow an 8 year old girl to get divorced from her husband. Yes, I said 8 year old girl. Apparently her father was in debt to this man and so he gave him his daughter! The man is 47 years old!! That is just wrong on sooooo many levels. This girl is 8 years old, that means shes like in 3rd grade! Why in the hell would a 'normal' man who is 47 years old want to marry a girl that is that young! The judge won't allow her to get a divorce and says that she can appeal to the court's decision when she reaches puberty. Something is backwards about that, she isn't old enough to appeal the court's decision but she is old enough to be married!?!?! Oh, but rest assured, the judge made the man sign a petition that says he won't have sex with her until she reaches puberty! I'm sure. Like that is really going to stop him from having sex with his 'wife'. The worst part of this whole situation is the fact that this girl's father is the one who gave her away and let this older guy marry her. I am sorry but if that was my child! I just can't even understand how any father could allow someone the same age as him to marry his 8 year old daughter. This is exactly why I feel so bad for the women in the middle east countries. This poor girl has no say and no choice. She was forced into marriage by her own father, talk about feeling betrayed. And now what is going to happen to this little girl? She will probably be forced to have sex with her 47 year old 'husband' even though she doesn't want to and is clearly not ready physically or mentally! It's an absolute shame and a very disturbing story. These type of things really irritate me!

This is crazy, disgusting,sick, and wrong. First off fathers should not be allowed to give away any children especiall a little eight year old girl. So what if he needed to settle a debt, he should have found a better way. Also the guy apparetly signed a paper say he would not have sex with her until puberty. Yeah right this guy was sick,and crazy enough to except the girl he is probably violating this little girl. what can she do? The judge in the situation is also crazy for not allowing her to get a divorce from the man. What is the point of them being married, why wouldnt he allow her to get away from the man? It dosent make sense when you think about it. I do wish that the U.S. could do something about it, but on one hand it is not really our business and we do rely of Saudi Arabia for much. This is just a really sad and digusting story, and I hope the little girl can get a divorce, or find a way to run away from the man. Also I hope that no other little girl has to marry any man let alone a 47 year old!

This article is revolting. I think that it is sad when someone will give their child away to pay their debt. What’s worse with this whole situation is that this 8 year old girl is probably getting raped every day. I’m sure if she doesn’t want to be married to this man she sure as heck doesn’t want to have sex with him but I’m sure that he doesn’t care after all it is his wife. I don’t think that this should be allowed at all. How disturbing to think that my niece could be married off, ok not really because she lives here but I find myself thinking of this sweet little girl who plays with Dora dolls having to be a wife to a 47 year old man. It makes me sick.

This is very terrible to hear. I never liked countries doing such things like arranged marriages, but this totally trumps that on so many levels. It is disturbing to read something like this wherea father gives away his 8 yr. old daughter to a 47 year old man. How can a judge refuse a divorce? How is this not considered child molestation or something of that nature? Why would this 47 yeard old man even want a young girl like this to be his wife. Some people and some countries I will just never understand. I just hate reading things like this becase now I just can't imagine what this little girl goes throguh every day and for the fact she is only 8 years old and will never truly enjoy life the way it was suppose to be. Something should be done or it wouldn't suprise me if this girl wound up dead. It is just really sad to hear things like this. Im just amazed.

This is wrong and this is something that we can not come to terms with something so awful. I know that in other counties it is different, thing and values are different. There are counties that have no value on life as we know it and we are different we look at life and death in a very different way. We even look at child abuse different; I wonder why it is like this. But we should think about or the wars we have fought to keep our freedom. You ever think this is what they mean by our freedom, because it sounds as if that little girl and her father are in a prison and he had no other choice and the law is now telling his little girl she has to go back and pretty much be raped by a older man or as we see it her husband. God help that little girl.

This story is very shocking. It gives a good look at the difference of different cultures. While this may seem unreal in our society, it might not be as uncommon in that area. Maybe not to this extreme, but it is obvious that women are not as highly regarded as they are here, and are often used as bargaining chips, or put into arranged marriages. I agree with what you said on it is wrong on so many levels. The fact that she is an eight year old girl living with a 47 year old man that is old enough to be her father is very controversial, even in their community. I only say this given the fact that they even had to sign an agreement restricting the husband from having sex with the wife until she reaches puberty, which I think I still much to young. Again though they have different rules in different societies and this type of behavior is acceptable there. It would definitely be a culture shock for anyone from our country to try to live in that country and witness all of the different ways of life they practice.