The story was horrific : An 8-year-old girl died from internal injuries suffered on her wedding night with a 40-year-old man . It caused outrage -- and numerous calls to end child marriage in Yemen . Authorities have denied the claims , saying she was neither married nor injured , and they held a news conference and paraded a girl they claimed was `` Rawan , '' accompanied by a man they described as her father . Despite the conflicting reports between local residents and government officials , some say , the story sheds light on the issue of child marriage . `` We do not want the government 's denial on this case to halt the international efforts to pressure the Yemeni government to end child marriage , '' said Hooria Mashhour , Yemen 's human rights minister . `` The efforts need to continue until a law is passed to end this practice . '' `` The story of Rawan was completely fabricated . After investigating , we came to a conclusion that she was alive and healthy , '' said Mosleh Ezzi , head of prosecution in the northern town of Haradh , where the incident reportedly happened . `` She attended the press conference with her father and friends who all supported her in these tough times , '' Ezzi told CNN , adding that `` medical tests proved that Rawan is still a virgin and was never married . '' Yemeni national security chief Ali Hassan Al-Ahmadi said he directed local authorities to find the girl and identify her . `` I can ensure that she had indeed suffered no harm , '' Al-Ahmadi said . When reports emerged last week that she died a few days after being married off to a 40-year-old man , Yemenis were horrified . International outrage quickly grew as the alleged incident highlighted once again the controversial issue of child marriage in the nation , where the practice is still legal . Residents told local media that Rawan died of internal bleeding , believed to be the result of sexual intercourse that tore her uterus and other organs . But confusion surrounded the case from the start , with residents telling CNN that she had died , while officials insisted she was alive and well . Mashhour , the human rights minister , said growing anger over the case presents an opportunity to enact laws to end child marriage in the nation once and for all . She said the push has faced many hurdles . `` Unfortunately , many factions in the government today are fighting our efforts to end child marriage , and that is why international pressure is needed , '' she said . Yemeni child rights advocate Ahmed Al-Qureshi , who 'd investigated the case for more than two weeks , said that while no evidence showed Rawan had been married and had died , child marriage remains a crisis in the nation . `` This case was fabricated , but many other cases of child marriage are true and tragic , '' Al-Qureshi said . In deeply tribal and conservative Yemen , the issue of child marriage is complicated . Human Rights Watch says more than half of all young girls there are married before age 18 . About 14 % are married before age 15 . Many Yemenis say they are forced to sell off their girls to older , wealthier men . When reports of Rawan 's case began making headlines , the group issued a statement urging Yemen to protect girls by setting 18 as the legal minimum age for marriage . `` The current political transition and drafting process for a new constitution offer a unique opportunity for the Yemeni government to enact laws protecting the rights of girls , '' Human Rights Watch said . Yemen should step in to end the practice , the group said . `` Thousands of Yemeni girls have their childhood stolen and their futures destroyed because they are forced to marry too young , '' said Liesl Gerntholtz from Human Rights Watch . `` The Yemeni government should end this abusive practice . '' In 2009 , the Yemeni parliament passed legislation raising the minimum age of marriage to 17 . But conservative parliamentarians argued the bill violated Islamic law , which does not stipulate a minimum age . The bill was never signed . Activist groups and politicians are still trying change the law , but more than 100 leading religious clerics have said restricting the age of marriage is `` un-Islamic . '' Over the past few years , several Yemeni child bride cases have left the world stunned . In 2008 , Nujood Ali , 10 , became an international sensation when she went to a Sanaa court and asked a judge for a divorce . After a highly publicized trial , she was granted one . Two years later , a 12-year-old Yemeni bride died of internal bleeding following intercourse three days after she was married off to an older man , according to the United Nations Children 's Fund . Over the summer , a video of Nada Al-Ahdal , 11 , accusing her parents of trying to marry her off in exchange for money , was uploaded to YouTube and quickly went viral . Her parents denied the story , and children 's rights activists questioned the veracity of her claims . But the video was still viewed by millions of people .
In Yemen , authorities say the story of the death of an 8-year-old bride is false . Last week , there were reports that she died days after being married off to a 40-year-old man . Activists calling for the end to such marriages say the story sheds light on the issue . Yemen should end the practice , Human Rights Watch says , but cultural practices are in the way .