BAHRAIN: CHILD MARRIAGE

UNCLAS MANAMA 000391 SIPDIS G/IWI FOR L. KHADIAGALA STATE FOR NEA/ARPI E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON ELAB PHUM PGOV SCUL SOCI KWMN BA SUBJECT: BAHRAIN: CHILD MARRIAGE REF: SECSTATE 36341 Sensitive but unclassified (deliberative process); please protect accordingly. Not for Internet distribution. ¶1. (U) Embassy Manama's response to reftel follows. Answers are keyed to reftel questions. ¶2. (SBU) 1.A. There is no legal age of marriage in Bahrain. Recently the King announced his support for a personal status law, and the GOB and civil society organizations are discussing a law, which would include a legal age of marriage. In personal status cases involving marriage, divorce, custody, etc., Muslims in Bahrain are subject to Shari'a law. There are two Shari'a courts in Bahrain, one for Sunni Muslims and the other for Shi'a Muslims. Sunni Shari'a law in Bahrain, which is applied to approximately 30 percent of the citizens and is based on the rules of the Maliki school of law, permits a guardian to authorize a daughter's marriage without her consent. According to the Shi'a Shari'a law in Bahrain, which is applied to approximately 70 percent of the citizens and is based on the rules of Jaafari Shi'ism, a female cannot be married unless she gives her consent. There are approximately 420,000 Bahraini citizens and 280,000 foreigners living in Bahrain. ¶3. (SBU) 1.B. Underage marriage (under 18) exists only rarely in Bahrain. The latest GOB statistics on marriage are from 2003. In 2003, 18 girls and (and no boys) below the age of 15 received marriage licenses. Of these, 13 were Bahrainis and five were foreign. 1,077 females and 85 males between the ages of 15 and 19 received marriage licenses. Among the girls, 942 were Bahraini and 135 were foreign. Among the boys, 73 were Bahraini and 12 were foreign. Our contacts who commented on the issue were unanimous in their assessment that most of the 15-19 year olds who were married were at the older end of the category. According to a women's rights activist, underage marriage in Bahrain is often physically and psychologically damaging, especially in cases where the marriage is forced by the parents. Girls who are married at a young age could give birth to children before their bodies are fully mature. ¶4. (SBU) 1.C. Currently there are no U.S.-funded initiatives in Bahrain to reduce the incidence or address the negative affects of child marriage. We have MEPI-funded education programs, but these do not specifically target girls at risk of underage marriage. MONROE