SULAIMANI (ESTA) — A man has married with a 13-year-old girl in a town in Erbil province in order to forgive his loan, said a source with knowledge of the matter.
The source told Esta Media Network that the girl’s father had owed five million Iraqi dinars to the man, who is 40 years old.
“The father had unwillingly given his daughter to the man after he could not pay back the loan,” the source close to the man said.
The 40-year-old man, whose name dubbed M. N. R., got married to the girl in Harir sub-district in Shaqlawa district, northeast of Erbil, on Friday, the source added.
“The girl is his third wife. The man had already had two wives, an Arab and a Kurd,” the source noted, saying that he has several children.
In a statement, a number of activists, journalists and organizations called on the Kurdistan Region Presidency, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and Kurdistan Parliament to intervene and prevent the “illegal marriage and return the child’s rights”.
