A middle-aged man was seen marrying a 12-year old girl in a seaside wedding in Lebanon. The shocking video appears to show the moment a child bride in white dress and veil, ties the knot with a man who is at least four decades older than her. This video has gone viral and sparked on international outcry.
But, thankfully, the child bride and her groom were actors hired by campaign group KAFA – which means “enough” in Arabic.The fake wedding was set up to highlight Lebanon’s child marriage shame. The age of consent in the country is set by religious tribunals. Girls as young as 14 can marry without parental consent, although tribunals have granted special permission for nine years- old to marry.
Campaigner Maya Ammar said: The scene was supposed to seem shocking because the practice itself is shocking.” It is thought one in three girls from low to middle income families are married before they turn 18. And one-third of those girls are less than 15 –years old.
It found a spike in early marriages in refugee camps across the Arab region, where Syrian families marry their daughters off to older man because they believe they are giving them a better, safer life.
