Mother of minor daughter married off in Yavn'el: "I knew that if I fought I would lose her"

Dvora, a mother of a 17-year-old girl from Yavn'el, tells in an interview with Kan News how her daughter was married in an early marriage within the community. The mother tried to prevent the wedding but refrained from confrontation to avoid losing contact with her daughter. The police arrived at the scene after the mother called them. Since the wedding, the daughter has completely ignored her. Dvora is now revealing the story to protect other minors.

Dvora, a mother of a teenage girl from Yavn'el, told Kan News this morning about her minor daughter's marriage. According to her, the events began when her daughter was 16 and moved to live with her father in Yavn'el. Within three months she was engaged. Dvora tried to convince her daughter to wait until age 18, but refrained from confrontation: "I knew that if I made war I would lose her." The wedding was set for the girl's 17th birthday. The mother called the police, who she says arrived at the scene. Since then, the daughter has completely ignored her. About two months after the wedding, Dvora discovered through a text alert from the health fund that her daughter was pregnant. The mother explains that early marriages in the community are presented as a way to prevent "sins" and as a means of controlling urges. She adds that girls are educated to aspire to marriage as early as ages 14-15, and there is social pressure on those who are not yet married by ages 17-18. She explained her decision to reveal the story now, after six months of silence, as a desire to protect her younger daughter and other minors, after discovering that another minor in her environment, about 15 and a half years old, recently became engaged.