Moroccan 'wedding' of 12-year-old girl to 30-year-old sparks debate

Reports of a wedding between a 12-year-old girl and a 30-year-old man in Morocco have sparked widespread condemnation and debate over child marriage.

Local media reported that the wedding had taken place on Saturday in the northern city of Tetouan and according to some outlets police had intervened to shut down the illegal ceremony after getting word of it through social media.

Other news sites said that police had deployed to the ceremony to discover that it was actually an engagement party for the underage future bride and her older groom.

News of the alleged marriage provoked angry responses from social media users who condemned the illegal union.

According to rights group Girls Not Brides an estimated 16 percent of Moroccan girls are married off before the age of 18.

In 2004, Morocco raised the legal age of marriage to 18 for both women and men. Previously, girls as young as 15 were allowed to tie the knot.

Earlier this month, an Egyptian cleric caused controversy when he said parents should be able to marry girls off as young as one day old.