Catherine Said:

How can the Saudi Health Ministry convince others that child marriage is harmful?

We Answered:

You have all totally missed the point of this question.

Its not who has a better system to deal with young pregnancies either inside or outside marriage. Its not which group of girls get into sexual activities BY THEIR OWN CHOICE at a young age.

This is totally about the health risks incurred by very young teenage (and younger) pregnancies, which is not only condoned by the Islamic states but actively encouraged by their ruling theocracies. Actually often the clerics are the worst ones at taking exceptionally young girls as a wife..

In many parts of the islamic world, marriage as young as possible is encouraged and condoned and it is quite common to find child wives and mothers at the age of 9 and 10. In the West, this is not only vigorously discouraged, but steps would be taken to prevent this happening to the point of instituting serious legal codes to protect the child.

I once worked with a middle eastern woman who was a grandmother at 22. She was virtually sold as a bride to a much older man by her father (mum had no say). She had absolutely no say in her marriage and what happened to her during it. She said she was forced into sex constantly and against her will but learned to just keep her mouth shut to avoid beatings. She had her first child in marriage at the age of 10. When her own daughter turned 11, she too was ''sold'' or traded to one of her husband's friends in exchange for the friends young daughter, (7 year old) who became this woman's husbands second wife. The woman's daughter gave birth and as both the woman and her daughter said 'Thankfully it was a boy, so no more girls to go through the agony we've been through'.

The woman and her daughter were both so physically damaged by childbirth at such a young age that neither of them were capable of having further children. The young 7 year old second wife suffered several years of rape by her husband before she finally matured enough to become pregnant and died due to complications during the pregnancy.

When I met this woman, she and her daughter had both been discarded by their husbands who had gone on to take several more very, very young brides.

Under Islamic law, the mother has no rights to her children and if she is divorced, her husband can and will take the children from her and with no provisions to see her children again. She can also be tossed out of the family home with nothing more than the clothes she stands up in and enough money to feed herself for a couple of weeks (if she is lucky). This is why there is a very high but very hidden prostitution rate in Islamic countries. These women, often 12-14 year olds, have been married, had a child or two, been tossed out by the husband for a younger model, and left to their own devices. Sometimes their families will take them back, but it is regarded as a huge disgrace and so the parents (read - father) won't have them back. If they are 'lucky' they will be sold again to someone as a third or fourth wife but this time they will be hard used as house workers and child minders whilst the husband enjoys his younger first and second wives, or as farm labourers or money earners of some description. In effect, not much better off than a slave.

They had both managed somehow to leave their countries (illegally) and had made their way to the west.

They have both had the physical and internal damage done to them repaired to where they can lead a normal life and both lead very quiet lives. Both are working unskilled factory jobs in the same company and live together. Neither of them will remarry or have kids and both of them have left islam.

Keith Said:

does the new health insurance that allow kids up to age 26 to stay under their parents plan cost the child?

We Answered:

Oh yes, there will be an extra premium cost to insure the child (as there is now). The difference is just that the allowable maximum age for the child is being raised to 26.

How that extra cost is structured depends on the specific insurance plan.