( CNN ) -- A 15-year-old Yemeni girl was burned to death by her father for `` communicating with her fiance , '' according to Yemen 's Interior Ministry . The father , a 35-year-old man , was arrested Tuesday in a village in Taiz Province . The statement did not clarify when the girl was killed . The case , which activists are calling an honor crime , is once again highlighting the plight of young girls in Yemen , where child marriages and honor killings still happen . According to Human Rights Watch , more than half of all females in Yemen are married off before the age of 18 . Leading child rights advocate Ahmed Al-Qureshi confirmed to CNN his organization , Seyaj , had been asked to investigate the incident , one he considered an `` honor killing . '' Honor killings are a problem in Yemen , a deeply tribal and conservative country , Al-Qureshi said . `` Most incidents of honor killing take place in rural areas where tribal law is applied . '' `` The government needs to deal with honor killing seriously , '' Ali Al-Bahri , a human rights activist , told CNN . Al-Bahri added that most honor killings in Yemen go unreported , `` and suspects are never punished . '' `` Tribal culture and lack of government awareness campaigns are key to the continuous spread of honor killings , '' said Al-Bahri . A written statement on the Interior Ministry 's website said police had told the ministry that `` the father committed this heinous crime against his daughter under the pretext that she was communicating with her fiancee . '' Exclusive : How my brother tried to kill me in 'honor attack ' Third of teens in Amman , Jordan , condone honor killings , study says .
A 35-year-old man was arrested in Taiz Province over the death of his daughter . The case is once again highlighting the plight of young girls in Yemen . Rights group : Amnesty International has called for an investigation into her murder and said that she may have been killed by a member of Al Qaeda or its affiliates. ` Most incidents ... take place in rural areas where tribal law is applied ''