A child bride in Egypt has committed suicide following a dispute with her spouse’s family.

The 15-year-old girl came back to her family home and then threw herself off the fourth floor of the building. When her husband found out he also attempted to commit suicide, his neighbors caught him with a blanket saving his life.

Egypt has the thirteenth highest number of child brides in the world. Child marriage is in part driven by gender inequality. economic unsteadiness, poverty and lack of education all contribute to an increase in underage marriage.

Alongside the rise in child marriage, suicides have gone up in Egypt. According to the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms, over 150 25-30-year-olds have committed suicide this year.

Child marriage has an impact on women’s mental and physical health for the rest of their lives. These women are often subject to domestic violence and are unable to stick up for themselves. Child brides often live with their husband’s family, which leads to an even greater risk of violent and psychosomatic abuse.

Despite the fact that Egypt has authorized the convention on the rights of the child, which stipulates 18 should be the legal age for marriage.

The convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women, says marriage should be undertaken with free and full consent, child marriage continues.

Rights groups say that Egypt needs to be tougher on criminalizing child marriage. Often, neither the groom nor the parents of the child bride are charged, which has led to an increase in the practice.

Earlier this month it was reported that Egypt’s Cabinet is planning to issue a new law imposing more penalties for the marriage of underage girls, strengthening the penalties and broadening the possibility of those penalized for child marriage to include the child bride’s father or guardian.

By Yazdaan Khan