In a tragic incident, Yemeni activists and human rights advocates revealed that an 11-year-old Yemeni girl was subjected to familial torture and brutal treatment by her father, her aunt (her father's wife), and relatives, before they sold her to an elderly man for 200,000 Yemeni riyals, approximately 140 dollars, as a slave in an unprecedented case. According to the activists, the girl, Ala Abda Thabet Ghanem, stated that her aunt had killed her sister, while her brother fled the home. Subsequently, her father took Ala to her aunt and uncle, who also tortured her and sold her as a slave to an elderly man for his service.
They added: "The man and his children took turns torturing her, and when the situation began to come to light, they got scared and arranged a marriage for her at a price of one million riyals, which the uncle and father shared while falsifying the girl’s age to 19 years."
They reported that the father, aunt, and uncle decided to ultimately get rid of her, informing the elderly man and his children of her intended murder, but the man's wife, who had bought her, showed compassion and helped her escape. They confirmed that Ala is now at the home of the village leader, and the security authorities linked to the Houthis were informed of the crime, but they ignored the complaints.
Activists published a medical report regarding Ala’s condition, which indicated that no part of her body was uninjured, suggesting that there was harm to specific areas of her body.
