A girl from the Philippines at the age of 13 was married to a 48-year-old man. She became his fifth wife and will live in his family with children of her age, writes The Daily Mail citing local sources.
The wedding was held according to the customs of local Muslims, relatives from both sides were present at it. Farmer Abdulrzak Ampatuan, the girl’s new husband, said he was happy with a new wife who would take care of his children from older wives. He stressed that he has no plans to have children with her before the girl turns 20.
The man built a separate house for his wife, where he will “spend time with her,” and promised to pay for her education at school.
According to the laws of the Muslim region of Mindanao, where newlyweds live, boys can get married upon reaching the age of 15, and girls as soon as they enter the biological transitional age. The Philippines is the second country in the world for the number of underage brides, there are more than 726 thousand of them. 15 percent of all girls in the country are married before they turn 18. Their situation is aggravated by the fact that divorce is prohibited by law in the country.