Yemen 's human rights minister wants child marriage outlawed after an 8-year-old girl reportedly died of internal injuries that she suffered on her wedding night . When reports emerged last week that a girl named Rawan , from the northern Yemeni town of Haradh , died a few days after being married off to a 40-year-old man , Yemenis were horrified . International outrage quickly grew , as the alleged incident highlighted once again the extremely controversial issue of child marriage in Yemen -- a country where the practice is still legal . Residents of Haradh told local media outlets that Rawan 's cause of death was internal bleeding , believed to be the result of sexual intercourse that tore her uterus and other organs . Local officials , however , have denied the story is true . Amidst the numerous claims and counterclaims , Hooria Mashhour , Yemen 's human rights minister , has declared enough is enough — telling CNN that the growing anger over Rawan 's case has presented Yemen with an opportunity to finally do the right thing . Yemeni girl from YouTube wants education , not marriage . `` This is n't the first time a child marriage has happened in Yemen , so we should not focus only on this case , '' Mashhour said . `` Many child marriages take place every year in Yemen . It 's time to end this practice . '' `` I personally have ( talked to ) the human rights coordinator for the ministry on the ground in Haradh , '' said Mashhour , `` and he informed me that nearly everyone he spoke to is denying the story , but he feels strongly suspicious . We feel people may be hiding information due to fear . '' CNN spoke with several locals who requested anonymity , as they feared possible reprisals . Many said they 'd been ordered to stop discussing the case with the media , insisting officials there were actively downplaying what had happened . `` No one is talking about this story because its an embarrassment , '' said one resident , `` but this is what poverty can do to people . '' Photos : Trading childhood for marriage . Many Yemenis say they are forced to sell off their girls to older , wealthier men . Mohammed Ahmed , head of Haradh 's police department , called the reports `` baseless . '' `` Residents heard this story from one another and it spread very quickly , like a rumor , '' Ahmed said -- adding that Rawan 's father had been called into the town 's police station for questioning and had denied the incident . `` When he came to us he brought a little girl with him who he said was Rawan to prove his case , and they were both photographed together by the police , '' Ahmed said . Yemeni child rights advocate Ahmed Al-Qureshi told CNN he 's been investigating the case for more than a week and there 's still a lot of confusion surrounding what exactly happened . He 's demanding more transparency from officials . Married at 13 to a man in his 70s . `` The government is informing us that the Rawan is in their custody and still alive , while other local sources are saying that she was secretly buried , '' said Al-Qureshi , who heads up Seyaj , one of Yemen 's leading children 's rights groups . `` The government is refusing to allow us to visit the girl in their custody , '' he said . `` The evidence we have now can not prove that Rawan was killed , and that is why we need the government 's cooperation . '' In Yemen , deeply tribal and conservative , the issue of child marriage is an extremely complicated one . According to rights group Human Rights Watch , more than half of all young girls there are married before age 18 . About 14 % of girls in Yemen are married before age 15 . In the wake of Rawan 's case , the group issued a statement urging Yemen to `` protect its girls from the devastating effects of early marriage by setting 18 as the minimum age for marriage by law . '' HRW added that `` the current political transition and drafting process for a new constitution offer a unique opportunity for the Yemeni government to enact laws protecting the rights of girls . '' `` Thousands of Yemeni girls have their childhood stolen and their futures destroyed because they are forced to marry too young , '' said Liesl Gerntholtz , HRW 's women 's rights director . `` The Yemeni government should end this abusive practice . '' In 2009 , Yemen 's parliament passed legislation raising the minimum age of marriage to 17 . But conservative parliamentarians argued the bill violated Islamic law , which does not stipulate a minimum age of marriage , and the bill was never signed . Activist groups and politicians are still trying change the law , but more than 100 leading religious clerics have said restricting the age of marriage is `` un-Islamic . '' Over the last few years , several Yemeni child bride cases have emerged that have shocked the world . In 2008 , 10-year-old Nujood Ali became a heroine to Yemeni girls and an international sensation when she went to a court in Sanaa and asked a judge for a divorce . After a highly publicized trial , she was granted one . In 2010 , a 12-year-old Yemeni bride died of internal bleeding following intercourse three days after she was married off to an older man , according to the United Nations Children 's Fund . Over the summer , an 11-year-old Yemeni girl named Nada Al-Ahdal became an internet sensation when a video of her accusing her parents of trying to marry her off in exchange for money was uploaded to YouTube and quickly went viral . While her parents denied Nada 's story , and child rights activists questioned the veracity of her claims , the video was still viewed by millions of people . Despite repeated attempts , CNN has been unable to reach Rawan 's father for comment . No sanctuary for Syria 's young female refugees .
The girl was reportedly married off to a decades - old man . ` ` It 's time to end this practice , '' minister said . Police call the alleged ` ` baseless '' In Kerala , the issue of child marriage is complicated .