[Livia]

Some information about women's rights in Sudan:

A survey conducted by Reuters says, “Strict interpretations of Islam curb Sudanese women's freedoms. It allows for domestic abuse, child marriage and marital rape. Sexual violence is common and often goes unpunished.”.

More than 12 million Sudanese women and girls are victims of female genital mutilation. Girls can legally marry from the age of 10 - there is no limit on a man's age. Women don't have an automatic right to medical care and education as men do, Consequently, the maternal mortality rate is high.

Sudan's police force decides what's decent and what's not. Consequently, women wearing the wrong thing, a knee-length skirt or trousers for instance, is punishable by 40-50 lashes in public. There's film on Youtube if anyone can stomach watching a woman being lashed. And if your family is rich, of course the Police will take a bribe, being the good Muslims they are. Rapes are generally not reported because there is a very real risk that the woman will be tried for adultery.

So really, selling off a 16 year old sounds kind of mild... which is ****ed up in itself.