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Runaway teenage girl sold to man twice her age serves prison time |
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Thursday, 23 December 2004 |
Iran Focus
 Tehran, Dec. 23 - A 15-year-old girl who ran away from home because of being forcefully married to a man twice her age was arrested and is currently in a juvenile correctional facility in Tehran.
The girl, who is of Afghan origin, ran away from home after she was sold by her father to another 30-year-old Afghan man for 50 million rials (the equivalent of $5,000). She, along with her boyfriend, ran away to the town of Damaqan, northern Iran.
Her father went to the local police station and filed a missing-persons report and security officials soon discovered that she had escaped to Damaqan. The pair were apprehended and put under arrest within a few days.
The girl subsequently appeared in court yesterday and defended her actions, saying that it was unjust for her father to be allowed to sell her to a man twice her age with whom she had never had any contact.
The judge ordered that she be kept in the juvenile correctional facility as it was more likely that she would be killed by her husband or father if she were released. He ruled that the older man is the girl’s lawful husband and that that could not be changed as the $5,000 had already been paid. |
