A few days ago, a postcard surfaced on social media, bearing a heart-wrenching message that an eight-year-old Yemen child bride died from internal bleeding on her wedding night after marrying a man five times her age. This alarming message was being portrayed as a recent incident, causing a significant stir on social media. The fake news was circulated by Twitter id @ask_aubry. However, our fact-check analysis unravels the truth behind this viral post, which is a decade-old incident.
The Source:
Our investigation begins with the source of this disturbing news. The message was shared with an image of a young girl, purportedly the child bride, and an elderly man, presumably her husband in Yemen. However, it’s crucial to verify the authenticity of these images and the context in which they were used.
The First Image:
The first image, featuring the young girl, is from an article dated 9th December 2009, featured on www.lahona.com. The article discusses the issue of early marriage of girls in Yemen, highlighting the profound societal and health consequences it entails. It is vital to understand that the content of this article does not directly relate to the incident in question but serves as background information on the prevalence of early marriages of child girls in Yemen and the bride culture.
The Second Image:
The second image, portraying an elderly man, was published on www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk on 3rd November 2011. This article narrates an entirely unrelated story about a former Imam, Ebrahim Yusuf Kazi, who was sentenced to two years in prison for indecent assault on three girls under 13. The offences took place between 1979 and 1986, well before the incident in Yemen relating to the child bride. This image has been deceptively used to mislead and manipulate the audience.
The Real Incident of Yemen Child Bride:
According to our findings, the incident involving the eight-year-old Yemen child bride occurred in the town of Meedi in Hajjah province, northwestern Yemen, in 2013. While this incident is indeed tragic, it is essential to clarify that these images do not correspond to the victim and the accused involved in the case. The use of unrelated images significantly distorts reality and perpetuates a false narrative. To read more about the incident, check out an article by theguardian.com.
Intent & Conclusion
The surfacing of this old news with out-of-context images is not an isolated incident. It appears to be part of a pattern where social media influencers circulate sensational stories to target a specific community and garner attention on social platforms. Such actions can lead to the spread of misinformation and can have severe consequences, including inciting fear, anger, and prejudice.
In conclusion, the tragic death of an eight-year-old Yemen child bride due to internal bleeding on her wedding night is indeed a harrowing reality, but it occurred in 2013. The recent circulation of this news with unrelated images is an attempt to manipulate public sentiment and create unwarranted fear and outrage. It is essential to critically assess the information we encounter on social media and rely on credible sources for accurate and unbiased news.
Claim: Postcard showing news that an eight-year-old Yemeni girl died on her wedding night after marrying a much older man.
Fact: Misleading. The incident did occur in 2013, but the images used in the postcard are unrelated and do not depict the actual individuals involved.
