CAIRO: Three Egyptian officials have been arrested for conducting weddings in which the brides were under age, a judicial source said on Saturday.
The marriage registrars (ma’azouns) from Daqhiliya province married three girls to adults, the official said, without giving the girls’ ages.
In 2008, Egypt’s child protection law was amended to raise the legal age of marriage for both males and females from 16 to 18.
The move was criticized by Egypt’s sizable Islamist opposition, who said it went against Islamic and Egyptian norms.
The arrest of the three earlier this week came after a court sentenced two officials to two years in prison for under age marriages. One of the men sentenced had married a minor to a 55-year-old man.
