Girl, 16, claims forced marriage

A 16-year-old girl's claim that her family married her off on a dowry of 260,000 yuan ($37,834) has drawn widespread attention on Chinese social media, with many netizens expressing outrage and sympathy for her.

To escape the forced marriage, the girl fled from her hometown in Puge county, Southwest China's Sichuan province, to work at a factory in Dongguan in South China's Guangdong province, according to the girl, adding that she was forcibly taken back by the man's family.

On the way back, she lied about going to the toilet and reported to the police in Tiandong county, South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, according to the girl.

The Women's Federation in Tiandong county confirmed on Monday afternoon that the girl is 16 and lives in Sichuan province's Puge county. As per the Civil Code of China, the minimum age for marriage is 20 for women.

The federation also said the girl sought help from staff at a service area restroom on the expressway in Tiandong county and reported to the police on Feb 14.

The Women's Federation in Puge county, the girl's hometown, said on Monday afternoon that they were currently verifying about "the 260,000 yuan dowry and the attempt to force her to marry."

While in Tiandong county, the girl was temporarily arranged to stay at a minor protection center. Tiandong's women's federation has called for the family to return the dowry and resolve the issue through peaceful means.

The girl's family came to Tiandong county on Friday to take the girl back home. On Monday, the women's federations in the two counties had contacted each other regarding this matter.

The Civil Code of China stipulates that forced marriage, buying and selling, and other acts that interfere with marriage freedom are prohibited. Marriage should be completely voluntary for both men and women, and any form of coercion or interference by any organization or individual is prohibited.

The girl's experience, if true, reflects that these legal knowledge have not been well disseminated in some rural areas or that people are still following traditional customs and practices of having parents decide their children's marriage, even arranging early marriage, said Wan Miaoyan, director of the Sichuan Dingchi Law Firm.

She also said if the man knew that the girl did not want to marry him and forcibly took her back, he committed the crime of using violent means to interfere with other people's freedom of marriage.