Maldives Police Service revealed that the parents of the 13-year-old child "bride", who recently gave birth, were arrested on Tuesday at approximately 1630 hours.
As per the police, the 36-year-old woman and the 47-year-old man were apprehended under a court order for allegations of neglecting their six children by refusing to vaccinate them as well as depriving them of education and healthcare.
The issue of the child's "marriage" to a 26-year-old man, Ismail Hammaadh from Maduvvari, Raa Atoll, came to public attention in November, when he was assaulted and thrown overboard from a boat following a dispute with other individuals aboard the vessel.
Hammadh was arrested on December 1 after he was discharged from Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH). According to Police, the DNA of the child borne by the 13-year-old matched that of Hammaadh.
The Maldivian constitution does not allow children under 18 to be married, and consummating an unlawful "marriage" to an underage child constitutes statutory rape.
The child, her infant, and her other siblings were transferred to state care on December 2.
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