Anger in Egypt

Outrage at engagement of child pair

While celebrating his eldest son's lavish wedding, at which a number of famous singers and belly dancers performed, Nasser Hassan decided to “double the joy,” he later recalled.

He announced that his son Omar would marry his cousin Gharam. At the wedding, held in a province about 120km north of Cairo, the guests didn't find it strange. Some would later tell Egypt's Al Watan that there was “nothing inappropriate,” adding that it was only “an engagement, not a marriage”. Omar is 12. Gharam is 11. Egyptian laws prohibit official registration for marriages for anyone under the age of 18. But the practice remains prevalent. According to Unicef, 17 per cent of Egyptian girls are married before the age of 18, the vast majority of the unions taking place in rural areas.

But in the case of Omar and Gharam, their engagement sparked outrage, particularly among child and women's rights activists. The photos of the young couple — Omar in a blue suit, heavily made-up Gharam in a white dress, high heels, and wearing a tiara — splashed across newspapers in the country.

That prompted Reda Eldanbouki, the head of the Women's Centre for Legal Aid and Counselling, to report the incident to the National Centre for Childhood and Motherhood, a government agency. He also filed a com- plaint with the attorney-general to investigate the incident and hold the parents accountable for this “crime,” he said. The engagement of Omar and Gharam “will only lead to an early marriage in which the girl will be deprived of equal chances to education, growth, and will isolate her from social spheres,” he said.

In Egypt's rural areas, families marry off their children but usually delay the official registration of the marriage until the couples reach the lawful age of matrimony to avoid legal punishment. As a consequence, any children born of the marriage will not be issued birth certificates or be recognised until then, legal experts say.