CAIRO: The Egyptian Ministry of State for Family and Population filed a complaint to the Attorney General against “brokers” in the Haram area of Giza against those who marry minors, sparking much debate in Egypt over the continued betrothal of young brides. The ministry said in a press statement that it had received a number of calls on its hotline number that revealed a number of girls under 18-years-old being married by so-called “brokers” in the area. One such call was concerning a 15-year-old girl from al-Hawawshy village in southern Egypt near Sohag, where the ministry said she reported that her family attempted to marry her off to an elderly man. A team from the ministry, accompanied by NGOs was sent to the mother and persuaded them not to marry the young girl until she was of age and allowed to complete her education. “It is a horrible situation where we have many families who do not abide by the law,” began Heba Mahmoud, a ministry official working in southern Egypt. She said that while the ministry does its best to tackle this growing problem, some “still slip through,” but added that the hotline number is a useful tool in helping girls speak out. “We have the hotline number and it is doing a lot of good. This is a perfect example of how it can be used to combat the marriage of minors in this country,” she added. The hotline, with its success, has also revealed the rise of child marriage's across Egypt, including in Kafr al-Sheikh governorate north of Cairo, where 20 young girls have been married off to Gulf Arabs and elderly men in villages. According to the ministry, the hotline has received several phone calls related closely to the phenomenon of child marriage, including a call from a man who married to his 16-year-old wife and who allegedly has given birth to 11 children since their marriage. He called in, wondering if there are ways even for sterilization to prevent her from having more children, which he claims threatens the lives of his family, financially and socially. Minister of state for the Family and Population Moshira Khatab said that the success of the hotline for family counseling and reporting on child marriage number is attracting a large number of calls and reports from victims and families and “expresses the need of citizens for family counseling” and “that the service is managed by a group of young doctors trained under the supervision of Egyptian universities, as well as legal experts for legal advice.” **reporting by Mohamed Abdel Salam BM
