Curiosity
Australian father Charged over 12 year old daughter’s marriage (PHOTO)
The 26-year-old man leaves court last week after being remanded in custody / Picture: Justin Lloyd Source: DailyTelegraph
Sydney, Australia – Police have arrested a 61-year-old Muslim man for marrying off his daughter in defiance of state laws for sexual consent and marriage. The man had the illegitimate marriage performed by his Pakistani-born imam. The young girl was married off to a Lebanese man age 26 or 14 years older than herself. The father is being charged with the crime of “accessory before the fact” for the sexual activity he subjected her to with the adult male. In Australia, the age for legal sexual consent is 14.
As for the girl’s “husband”, he has been arrested on charges dealing with sexual abuse of a child. In all, he has been charged with 26 counts. The father is an Australian by birth who converted to Islam. The girl’s father remains defiant claiming he has done nothing wrong. It should be noted that neither has he plead guilty to the charges against him. He attempted to get bail, but it was denied. The so-called “husband” is being held in jail also.
This incident has brought child marriages to the forefront in this prosperous nation. It is reported that in the province of New South Wales, there are hundreds of young girls illegally married.
The state’s Community Services Minister Pru Goward last week told the AAP, anecdotal evidence suggested forced marriages between children and adults was an ongoing issue, particularly in Sydney.
“This is a very secretive practice … but it is not an unknown practice,” she said after the current case first surfaced.
“I understand there are actually a significant number of unlawful, unregistered marriages to under-aged girls in NSW, particularly in western Sydney, southwest Sydney and the Blue Mountains.”
An investigation by the Sydney Daily Telegraph published Wednesday called the problem an “epidemic.”
On The Web:
Australian father 12 year old daughter marriage
http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/australian-father-held-over-12-year-old-daughter-s-marriage-482465
Australian father held over 12-year-old daughter’s ‘marriage’
http://tribune.com.pk/story/670704/australian-father-held-over-12-year-old-daughters-marriage/