To wonder how this is legal and what can be done to prevent it

153 replies

Fawnly · 30/12/2024 17:26

Over the last few weeks I’ve heard 3 separate stories of young British girls, moving to the Middle East, getting married, changing religion and having children with men who are older.
One was on here and it seems it ended in abuse.

One of the others has really disturbed me, this girl started a relationship with a doctor from Qatar who was late 20s when she was 17!! As soon as she turned 18 she started getting the documents needed to move. 6 weeks after turning 18 she has moved to Qatar, married just weeks after that (had to change religion first). Then almost immediately conceived a child. Her parents (who are my friends), haven’t been able to visit as she refuses to let them. She now has 2 children, totally distant from her family etc.

Another was similar but the UAE.

AIBU to wonder how this is legal? Why are these countries letting 30 year old men marry teenagers who they have just moved 4000 miles from home!

I have teenagers and I’m beside myself at the thought of this happening to them!

How and why does this happen? How can it be prevented?

OP posts:

SallyWD · 02/01/2025 18:03

Stillshepersisted · 02/01/2025 17:43

I’m white, British, an ardent feminist and I live in Qatar. Have done for a number of years. I’m professional and have a great job and lifestyle here. It’s an incredibly safe country and I’m treated incredibly well as a woman here. I can go anywhere on my own, at night, leave my door and my car unlocked. Men will ask if I mind them entering a lift that I’m in on my own. I am honestly sick to the back teeth of people back in the UK who usually haven’t set foot anywhere in the Middle East never mind Qatar and who have blithely accepted all the absolute nonsense written in the press about Qatar. Your entire post stinks of Islamophobia and prejudice. Qataris here rarely marry outside of their own nationality - in fact they need special permission to do so because there are only around 300,000 of them and they are very keen to protect their identity and culture. There’s more to your story than you are letting on and I find it utterly bizarre that you think white Christian women who are legally adults should be stopped by some legal mechanism marrying specifically Muslim Arab men in other countries. Are you ok?

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Excellent post and I agree with every word. Having spent time in Qatar myself, it felt like an extremely safe place and I was treated respectfully by all the men I met.

Eyesopenwideawake · 02/01/2025 18:03

Just waiting for the "well, Billie Piper married Chris Evans when she was 18 and he was 35. And he was ginger!!"

JHound · 02/01/2025 18:16

Eyesopenwideawake · 02/01/2025 18:03

Just waiting for the "well, Billie Piper married Chris Evans when she was 18 and he was 35. And he was ginger!!"

Unlikely. Apparently this kind of thing does not happen in the UK for- only the ME.

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