A 13-year-old girl in the Philippines was forced to marry a 48-year-old man in a wedding ceremony. Not only that, she had to take care of her husband’s child who was the same age as her.
Several viral photos show the man hugging the teenager at a wedding in the town of Mamasapano in Maguindanao province on October 22.
It was reported that the girl had legally become the fifth wife of this man in the Philippines with an Islamic wedding ceremony. However, the groom did not regret marrying the teenager the same age as his child.
“I am happy to have found her and spend my days with her taking care of my children,” said the groom.
However, he informed that he wanted to have a child with his wife when his wife was 20 years old.
He added that he will send his wife to school to get an education like everyone else while they are not ready to have children.
There are some areas in the Philippines especially in the province of Mindanao where minors are allowed to marry as long as the individual reaches puberty.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) data, the Philippines ranks 12th in the world with an estimated 726, 000 underage brides.
Source: Mirror UK