US embassy cable - 05SANAA589

UNCLAS SANAA 000589 
 
SIPDIS 
 
PLEASE PASS TO G/IVI LYNN KHADUAGALA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON, ELAB, PHUM, PGOV, SCUL, SOCI, KWMN, YM 
SUBJECT: CHILD MARRIAGE IN YEMEN: HALF THE CHILDREN ARE 
MARRIED 
 
REF: STATE 36341 
 
1. This message is in response to reftel questions on child 
marriage in Yemen, see para. 4. 
 
2. The legal age of marriage in Yemen is 15.  UNICEF 
estimates that approximately 41 percent of Yemeni children 
under the age of 15 are married.  According the USAID-funded 
Development and Health Survey (DHS), 64 percent of Yemeni 
girls under the age of 18 are married, making Yemen fourth in 
the world for the highest incidence of girls married under 18 
years of age.  In order to respond to reftel questions, 
EmbOffs met with UNICEF, OXFAM, local women's NGOs, and the 
Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (MLSA). 
 
3. DCM met with Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Abd 
al-Karim al-Arhabi on March 8, who also serves as the 
Director of the Yemen Social Fund for Development (SFD), to 
discuss the problem of child marriage.  The Minister reported 
that both child marriage and violence against women are 
significant social problems in Yemen.  Child marriage, said 
Arhabi, is socially accepted in Yemen and contributes to low 
levels of women's education, increased poverty, and health 
risks.  According to Arhabi the ROYG has not yet embarked on 
public awareness campaigns on the negative effects of child 
marriage because the issue is too sensitive in Yemen's 
traditional culture.  The Minister indicated, however, that 
if the U.S. funded an NGO to tackle the issue in Yemen, he 
would support the effort. 
 
4. Below is Post response to reftel questions: 
 
A1.  The legal age of marriage in Yemen is 15 for both girls 
and boys.  This law, however, is not enforced and child 
marriage, particularly in rural areas, is common place. 
Girls routinely marry upon puberty, around 12 years of age, 
and boys tend to marry between the ages of 15-18. 
 
A2.  There are no statistics available on the rate of child 
marriages in Yemen for boys or girls.  Girls commonly marry 
at the age of 12, and boys tend to be roughly three years 
older than their brides. 
 
A3.  Since the law requiring children to be 15 in order to 
marry is not enforced, there is no mechanism whereby children 
under the age of 15 may marry with parental consent.  A male 
relative of the bride may, however, sign the marriage 
certificate without the brides consent. 
 
B1.  Post believes underage marriage (i.e. younger than 15) 
is a significant problem in Yemen.  Exact data is difficult 
to obtain.  According to UNICEF estimates, 41 percent of 
children under the age of 15 are married. 
 
B2.  Yemen has a poor heath care system and relies heavily on 
the assistance of donor nations.  This is especially true in 
rural and remote areas where child marriage is the norm. 
There are no statistics available on the negative health 
consequences of early marriage for Yemeni girls.  It is 
likely, however, that given the poor or non-existent access 
of many Yemeni girls to modern health care, that health 
complications associated with early marriage are exacerbated 
in Yemen. 
 
C1.  Currently there are no U.S.-funded initiatives in Yemen 
that aim to reduce the incidence or address the negative 
effects of child marriage. 
 
C2.  A public awareness campaign and health care assistance 
programs seem obvious first steps to reduce the incidence and 
address the negative affects of child marriage in Yemen. 
Post requires more time to thoroughly investigate this issue 
before recommending specific programs or NGO partners.  Post 
would need to enter into a dialogue with Ministries of Health 
and Education regarding this issue. 
 
C3.  USAID has existing programs in Yemen that provide basic 
education and training on women's health issues.  These 
programs have not addressed the issue of early marriage due 
to cultural taboos and political sensitivities, but it is 
possible that efforts to address to problem of early marriage 
could be incorporated. 
 
5.  Embassy Sanaa POC is Jules Kim Johnson, Economic and 
Commercial Officer, phone number: 967-1-755-2252, email: 
johnsonjk@state.gov. 
Krajeski