Engagement bash for children sparks outrage in Egypt

Relatives and friends packed a party hall in Egypt to celebrate the alleged ‘engagement’ of a couple neither of whom were older than 11.

Omar is 11-years-old and his ‘fiancée’ is 9 and both are still in the elementary class level in the northern Egyptian town of El Senballawein.

A short YouTube film published in regional newspapers showed the little would-be groom hugging and dancing with his fiancée to the sound of music in a party that immediately triggered angry reactions from local human rights groups.

“This violates the children’s law in Egypt and the whole world,” said Reda Al Danbooki, Director, Human Rights Centre in the nearby town of El Mansoora.