8 year old Saudi girl allowed to divorce

[Oklop]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009...riage-annulled

Hooray, under international pressure the poor girl is allowed to have normal life at least for a while. I wonder how many such cases are not reported. Ever since this issue appeared in the news some time ago I wondered how it will end.

Is it just me or Saudi Arabia is just about the most backwards state in that neighborhood? I mean they make Iran look like a pillar of democracy (no matter how strange that sounds).

[removeduser_487563287433]

Um, no. You want child marriage outrage check out Yemen. Saudi Arabia is a rank amateur.

[Каие]

The issue here is poverty. The man was in debt and sold his daughter. That is why welfare is important, and why the state must help people in those situations, laissez faire, simply, is bull crap.

[Admiral Piett]

The issue here is poverty. The man was in debt and sold his daughter. That is why welfare is important, and why the state must help people in those situations, laissez faire, simply, is bull crap.

That's quite an excuse.

[VALIS]

The issue here is poverty. The man was in debt and sold his daughter. That is why welfare is important, and why the state must help people in those situations, laissez faire, simply, is bull crap.

Why is that an excuse for allowing a man to marry an 8 year old? Good lord, some people!

[IrishHitman]

The issue here is poverty. The man was in debt and sold his daughter. That is why welfare is important, and why the state must help people in those situations, laissez faire, simply, is bull crap.

One would think civil rights would be equally important.

[Fishy]

One would think civil rights would be equally important.

What he's trying to say is that civil rights can't exist without welfare. Look at Europe for example, when did the lower class population get any rights here? When the country became richer and the culture changed because of it.

Culture and things like this simply won't change unless money is involved.

[IrishHitman]

What he's trying to say is that civil rights can't exist without welfare. Look at Europe for example, when did the lower class population get any rights here? When the country became richer and the culture changed because of it.

Culture and things like this simply won't change unless money is involved.

Saudi Arabia is pretty damn rich.
Maybe this village wasn't, but the state is.

Therefore, the state should be outlawing this sort of behaviour entirely, in conjunction with improving the situation, instead of the girl having to be granted a divorce. This case implies that the state sanctioned the marriage originally....

[Fishy]

Saudi Arabia is pretty damn rich.
Maybe this village wasn't, but the state is.

Therefore, the state should be outlawing this sort of behaviour entirely, in conjunction with improving the situation, instead of the girl having to be granted a divorce. This case implies that the state sanctioned the marriage originally....

True, the state should change this. But that can't happen unless they start giving money to the people. Unless a welfare society is created things like this will continue to exists. And let's say the government suddenly makes this illegal then it will still happen but in other less known ways.

As in almost every situation money is required for real change.

[Central Asian Qaghan]

Saudi Arabia is pretty damn rich.
Maybe this village wasn't, but the state is.

Therefore, the state should be outlawing this sort of behaviour entirely, in conjunction with improving the situation, instead of the girl having to be granted a divorce. This case implies that the state sanctioned the marriage originally....

Saudi Arabia is not rich. The saud family is rich. The people running the main positions in the government and who are all from the house of saud are rich.

Take away the saud's and Saudi Arabia is poor.

[Каие]

One would think civil rights would be equally important.

I can't recall saying otherwise.

[Phier]

The issue here is poverty. The man was in debt and sold his daughter. That is why welfare is important, and why the state must help people in those situations, laissez faire, simply, is bull crap.

As compared to the system in the West where the state keeps paying for the Children you can't afford at other peoples expense.

The problem was a system that allows you to sell your children in the first place.

[Justinian]

As compared to the system in the West where the state keeps paying for the Children you can't afford at other peoples expense.

The problem was a system that allows you to sell your children in the first place.

Rome is completely right here and I'm amazed at the flak he's taking for describing a simple cause and effect. Poverty is not a moral reason to sell your daughter, and neither I nor Rome are trying to pretend it's all well and good because the father needed the money, but that is the explanation for the reason these kinds of things happen. In order to solve the problem of why these things happen, the issue of poverty must be solved first. Cause and effect.

The system allows you to sell your children because it needs to for poor people to survive in some circumstances, and even if it was illegal they would still exercise the few options they have left. Obviously all of us here can afford certain luxuries (like an internet connection) that people who have no option but to sell their children can't even dream of.

Saudi Arabia is pretty damn rich.
Maybe this village wasn't, but the state is.

The government and upper class are rich, yes.

[IrishHitman]

The government and upper class are rich, yes.

Precisely.
Therefore it is the government's responsibility to legislate against this behaviour, and eliminate the root cause, in this case, poverty.

I don't expect much from a barbaric government, mind.

[Phier]

In order to solve the problem of why these things happen, the issue of poverty must be solved first. Cause and effect.

Hows that war on poverty going anyways?

[Каие]

Thanks Justinian!

Precisely.
Therefore it is the government's responsibility to legislate against this behaviour, and eliminate the root cause, in this case, poverty.

I don't expect much from a barbaric government, mind.

they are legislating to put an age of 18 on marriage, but that is not exactly going to be enforceable, and it will not solve the poverty problems, the cause.

Now if only we stopped propping up that Royal Family, without our protection and money, maybe then they would listening to the people, at who's mercy they will be.

Hows that war on poverty going anyways?

A lot better than that war on terror.

[Justinian]

Hows that war on poverty going anyways?

What's your point?

The war on drugs isn't going great either. Neither is the war on cancer.

I guess we should just give up on those things.

[Problem Sleuth]

Hows that war on poverty going anyways?

Well, it's at about 12.5% as of 2007. Before measures to reduce poverty were undertaken, it used to be more around 20-25% any given year instead of 10-15%. In addition to all that, welfare consumes a meagre 1-2% of the US budget (on local, state, and national levels). Given that, I'd say it'd going pretty well. Wouldn't you?

[bthizle1]

The issue here is poverty. The man was in debt and sold his daughter. That is why welfare is important, and why the state must help people in those situations, laissez faire, simply, is bull crap.

Amen!

And those that don't have to resort to these sort of things (this is an extreme too) due to dire situations (ie. no money = no survival) don't understand why people do them. I personally cannot understand why one would sell their daughter, but that is an extreme. Look at people who have to steal food, clothes etc...because they need to provide for themselves and in many cases others as well. They are looked down upon by the yuppes who've never had to deal with the we call poverty...and I mean true poverty, not $20,000-30,000 a year and thinking you're "poor," poverty.

[IrishHitman]

Amen!

And those that don't have to resort to these sort of things (this is an extreme too) due to dire situations (ie. no money = no survival) don't understand why people do them. I personally cannot understand why one would sell their daughter, but that is an extreme. Look at people who have to steal food, clothes etc...because they need to provide for themselves and in many cases others as well. They are looked down upon by the yuppes who've never had to deal with the we call poverty...and I mean true poverty, not $20,000-30,000 a year and thinking you're "poor," poverty.

Cry me a river.

Firstly, being poor does not give one justification to be a barbaric prick.
Stealing is one thing, selling your own child is something entirely else.

While we can understand why they do such things, tolerating them would be an exercise in farce.

Secondly, there are those who are genuinely poverty striken in the West.
Contrary to extremely popular belief in less well-off countries.