Two children in Egypt recently got engaged and it's not OK

The engagement of two children in Egypt's Kafar Al Sheikh governorate recently sparked public outcry in the country. 

Videos of the celebration went viral on social media earlier this week. In the clips, the 15-year-old boy and his 14-year old fiancée can be seen dancing and celebrating with friends and family. 

The footage was posted on Facebook by relatives who attended the festivities, and controversial opinions on the matter surfaced soon after.

In a statement to Egyptian TV show DMC Evening, the engaged boy's mother confirmed and defended the engagement. Identifying the underage couple's names as Fares and Nada, the woman said: 

"What you saw in the videos is the truth. It's my son's engagement to the daughter of one of our relatives. This follows our old traditions. Since they were both young we would always say that Fares is Nada's and vice versa. All we did was make their engagement official. That's it."

When the program's host asked Fares' mother whether or not she feels her son is too young for such a move, she responded saying: 

"To all of you, he might seem young in age, but to us he's old in wisdom. He's responsible in his studies and works with his father after school. He truly loves Nada and the two have loved each other for a long time. We don't think there's anything wrong with this, it's an engagement, they're not married yet." 

When asked about the wedding, she explained that it's set to take place in about four years from now.

"Is the children's engagement in Kafar Al Sheikh governorate normal? I think this isn't the first time something similar takes place there. I think it's disgusting and anyone who condones it must be sick."

"People, humans... our children need to experience their childhoods just like everyone else their age all around the word."

"I'm truly disgusted by these engagement videos. Have people gone crazy or what! This is clearly a case of child abuse."

"The engagement of these kids in Kafar Al Sheikh must be punished. Their parents must be referred to trial and held accountable."

The online backlash pushed Egypt's government to investigate the case. 

After reviewing it, the country's public prosecution decided to take action against the two kids' parents. They called them in for questioning as they had violated child protection laws. 

The case was then referred to concerned authorities who asked the parents not to expose their children to things that are well beyond their understanding. 

Earlier this year, the engagement of a 12-year-old boy in Egypt's Al Fayoum governorate sparked outrage online. 

This came after photos of his engagement went viral on social media, leading to a heated debate over the issue of child marriage in the country.

At the time, a few of the boy's relatives spoke to local media outlets confirming his engagement to a 16-year-old girl. 

Child marriage cases are widespread in Egypt and continue to be a major problem, especially in rural areas.

In total, an estimated 13.9 million children, both boys and girls, are victims of child marriages in the country.

A 2017 census by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization revealed that "around 40% of married women were under the age of 18."

Existing laws in the country do ban child marriages from being registered. However, they can't prevent them because marrying a minor is not considered a criminal offense in Egypt.

In the past few months, Egyptian officials announced they're finalizing a bill set to criminalize such marriages but it has yet to be fully passed. 

Child marriages are also prevalent in Arab countries and other states around the globe. 

According to the World Economic Forum, 117 countries around the world allow child marriages, either because there is no age specification or it is allowed under certain circumstances.

Globally, UNICEF says 39,000 child marriages occur daily, with one in three girls in the developing world forced into marriage before the age of 18.