Child Marriages Happen In Hamrun, A Maltese-Arabic Author Warns After The Last Brawl In The Syrian Streets
A Maltese author of Jordanian-Palestinian origin has issued a warning to the Maltese authorities about what is happening in Hamrun – she claimed that child marriages and underage births are happening under the very noses of the authorities.
While recounting that he was going home earlier today before being told by the police that he needed to turn around and go back because of an ongoing fight between 25 Syrian men on the main road of Hamrun, Walid Nabham broke down what he saw – before revealing other incidents. which many may not have known about.
“I saw one man attack another using a pan, and another man with a whole table, others with strange objects,” he said. “I don’t know why it’s always the Syrians, but I imagine they mostly fight over money, or women.”
He turned to the child marriages that take place in his own street.
“In my street, 14 and 15 year old girls got married! I thought I would contact the media to ask them, who is marrying these children? He cannot be in the Mosque as the legal age in Islam is 18.”
He explained that not only are girls married young, but they go on to produce multiple children within a short period of time.
“The girl on my street today has three children, even though she herself is still a girl. I think the state needs to open its eyes properly to see what is happening.”
Using his background and experience, Nabham went on to say that Malta was getting a rough deal when it came to which refugees it was taking.
“And to be clear, most of the Syrians who settled in Malta are nomads who have little education, and therefore many work in construction. The cream of the Syrian crop has all gone to the northern countries, be it Canada or America.”
The legal age of marriage in Malta is 16 years.
Syrian refugee girls have been found to be at increased risk of child marriage due to poverty, legal loopholes and long-term displacement.
Last year, UNICEF, the children’s agency of the United Nations, estimated that up to 10 million more girls may become child brides over the next decade, just because of the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Across North Africa and the Middle East, nearly 40 million girls have found themselves in child marriage.
It wasn’t just Nabham who spoke out after today’s public brawl. The anti-racism activist Omar Rabahbah said that anyone guilty of breaking the law should be punished, and issued a message from within the Syrian community after “sticking his neck out” for them several times.
“These actions reflect so badly on the majority, who are good people.”
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