Mum sells child bride for B2,000

Mum sells child bride for B2,000

LOP BURI – A mother forced her 13-year-old daughter to marry a 34-year-old man who paid a bride price of 2,000 baht, The Pavena Foundation for Women and Children (Pavena) reported on Friday.

The girl told foundation staff that the man had come over for a drink with her parents at her home on Tuesday. He later entered her room and hugged her while she was sleeping. He fled after she screamed for help.

The following day, the man came into her room again and forced her to have sex with him. When she told her parents, they asked the man to come over and then offered her as his bride for 2,000 baht.

Foundation chairwoman Pavena Hongsakul and the police immediately went to the child's house after receiving complaints from villagers about the incident. The man, his parents, and the victim's parents were brought in for questioning.

The man and his relatives protested that he had done nothing wrong. They said that there were other men in the village who had married and lived with girls who were 12 or 13 years old.

Ms Pavena said that even though the parents from both sides gave their consent for the marriage, it still violated the law which protects children below the age of 15. The government has full authority to intervene.

The child will receive trauma treatment from the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, she added.

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT (14)