It's odd that the BBC would make this claim:
"It has also prompted fresh debates about child protection laws, as currently there is no minimum legal age for marriage":
Her family had not seen her for six months before she was found with a man claiming to be her husband.
www.bbc.com
Both her father and her abductor broke numerous state and federal laws in regards to child "
marriage". Anyone else involved
must pay the consequences, since all are criminals:
Federal law:
Article 28. Family Care:
1. No marriage shall be legal without the free consent of both the man and the woman, or if one or both of them have not reached the age of maturity.
Article 29. Children:
2. Every child has the right to be protected from mistreatment, neglect, abuse, or degradation.
7. In every matter concerning a child, the child's best interests are of paramount importance.
8. In this Article a "child" is defined as any person under 18 years of age.
Somalia's Constitution of 2012
www.constituteproject.org
State (Puntland) Law:
Article 30 - FAMILY RIGHT
The family is the foundation of society.
The family consists of a man and a woman who are adults and legally married, and includes their children. The existence of the family shall be protected by the law.
Article 31 - RIGHTS OF CHILDREN
I. A minor is any individual below the age of fifteen (15) years.
2. A minor has a right to life, name, nationality, upbringing, education and health care.
Inshallah she gets the justice she deserves and truly needs. Additionally, I am unaware if Puntland has updated their constitution or codified a bill as I am citing the 2011 update of the 2009 version. Does anyone know? Article 31, subsection #1 needs to be updated immediately. Both Puntland and the Federal Government need to enact
harsher penalties.