A 12-year-old girl bled to death in Yemen as a result of sexual intercourse, three days after her wedding to a man in his twenties, Gulf News reports.

Elham Mahdi Shuee died at the hospital in Hajja. The Sisters Forum for Human Rights, an organisation which campaigns against child marriage, said medical checks had shown she suffered a ruptured womb.

Elham's marriage was an exchange between two families with no dowry involved. Her brother married a girl of the same age from her husband's family. After Elham's death, the other family came to reclaim their daughter.

The case is likely to fuel the debate in Yemen about child marriage. Last month, another 12-year-old girl was granted a divorce from her 26-year-old husband.

A draft law has been presented to parliament which would set a minimum marriage age of 17 for females and 18 for males but is facing tough opposition from traditionalists and religious elements.

Posted by Brian Whitaker, 8 April 2010.