Man 50, Marries 15-Year-Old Girl In Saudi Arabia: $20,000 Dowry For Runaway Bride, Wants Her Back, HRC Angry

A 70-year-old man is disputing claims of marrying a 15-year-old girl in Saudi Arabia. The man is also claiming that the girl's family has ripped him off for the large dowry, which he paid for the union.

In an interview with CNN, the man said that he paid the family $20,000 for the girl's hand in marriage and human rights workers are upset about the discovery after the man went to officials after the teenage girl left him. The man is now claiming that he believed the girl was 25-years-old, "She is not 15 as everybody claims," he said. "She's 25 years old and she's mature enough to make her own decisions... I was fooled by the girl's family."

Although, in Saudi Arabia there is no age limit for marriage, human rights worker believe that there was a fight between the teen and the man, which was the cause for the girl to run back home to her family.

According to Dr. Hadi Al-Yami, the head of the Asir branch of the Human Rights Commission, the teenage girl is believed to be from the Al-Hurath village in Jizan province, in southwestern Saudi Arabia near the border with Yemen.

An investigation is set to be underway in the courthouse in Al-Hurath, Al-Yami to help the teenage girl get the legal help she needs to formally dispute the marriage.

Dr. Suhaila Zein al-Abedin of the Saudi National Association for Human said, "When you consider the very large difference in age, it looks more like this was not a marriage, but like the girl was sold," al-Abedin said. "The girl's parents need to be held responsible for this."

A well-known Egyptian activist, Mona Eltahawy voiced her opinion about the underage marriage tweeting, "It's only when there's enough public outrage that we can fight #childmarriage. We are not angry enough to help that 15 y/o & others like her."