Iran’s teenage widows growing in number

Shahrzadnews - According to the latest figures, the number of Iran’s young widows is on the increase, thanks in part to the widespread practice of marrying female children to much older men. The Ghanoon website says figures released by Iran’s national statistics office indicate that 12,088 people under 20 married in the first quarter of the current Persian year. Most of the brides are believed to be under 15, the main victims of the cultural and economic poverty of their families.

In the remote villages of the provinces of Khuzestan and Siastan-Baluchestan, many parents regard their young daughters as economic burdens. They marry them off to older men, hoping that the groom’s family will support theirs financially. According to official figures, 72% of Iranian women who ran away from their husbands in the last two years were between 11 and 17.

Sociologist Dr. Mohammad Abhari told Ghanoon: “Many people still regard a woman’s physical maturity as sufficient reason for her to be able to marry safely, while completely disregarding the question of her mental and social readiness. The widespread marriage of immature girls under 15 means many are widowed while still children.”

According to international conventions on children’s rights, people reach adulthood at 18. Under the Islamic Republic regime’s laws however, girls may marry at 13 and boys at 15.

Figures released by the national statistics office indicate that even in 2006 over 25,000 divorcees were children. In that year 12,000 under-age wives were widowed, mostly in urban areas. Government agencies have never released information as to what became of these children, in terms of their psychiatric and social status.