JEDDAH: Despite the Human Rights Commission (HRC) trying for some time to put an end to child marriages in the Kingdom, an 80-year-old man in Buraidah recently married a 12-year-old girl after giving her father a dowry of SR85,000.

The girl’s mother, who is divorced from the father, has filed a complaint with the HRC and the authorities to end the marriage.

The Kingdom saw a spurt of marriages between elderly men and girls as young as 10 in 2009. Media coverage and the concerns of the HRC have been essential in stopping several such marriages. However, with the absence of any law on the issue, child marriages continue to take place.

In this particular case, the marriage official was blamed for approving the matrimony, a newspaper reported. The official, however, said he has no clear instructions about marrying girls under the age of 18, adding that he had called the girl, asked for her opinion and taken the consent of both the bride and groom.

The father said he married off his daughter based on her physical growth, not according to how old she is, and that he does not care what her mother thinks. He added that his daughter had reached puberty, that such marriages occur in society and that there is no harm.

He also said he did not take his ex-wife’s view on the matter, describing her as a “failure” and asking why he would ask her opinion.

HRC President Bandar Al-Iban urged the body to establish a committee to investigate the matter. The HRC is to meet the 12-year-old’s legal representative and study details of the case.

“We will wait for the outcome of the information we have collected. Part of studying the case involves meeting the marriage official who approved the marriage,” said Mohammed Al-Muaadi, the HRC’s media coordinator.

Meanwhile, the 80-year-old husband denied allegations that the girl was forced into the marriage. He added that he asked for her approval before the marriage contract was signed. He also said he was verbally attacked by the girl’s mother when he invited her to the wedding.

According to reports, the 80-year-old man already has three wives, all of whom are young. The girl also denies giving her consent to the marriage and has asked for a divorce.