(Daily Mail)- A 15-year-old Syrian schoolgirl has been given permission by the German authorities to marry the father of her baby in the latest example of migrant child brides.
The authorities in Dusseldorf have decided it is acceptable for the girl to begin 'married life' with her 19-year-old boyfriend.
It is the latest example of the German authorities bending national rules to mollify some migrant cultures which condone child brides.
Social services say they will not intervene because the relationship is 'voluntary' and the girl says she loves her new 'husband'.
Child protection services have reportedly supervised 12 under-age marriages in Dusseldorf over the last ten years. In one case the girl was only 14.
Matthias Ditges, a spokesman for the Dusseldorf Youth Office, said there was 'no compulsion' when the pair tied the knot.
He said: 'As in all cases with a minor spouse, we have also examined this link in depth, and we have come to the conclusion that the marriage was voluntarily and out of love.'
The social worker said the authorities would have intervened immediately if they believed the marriage had been forced upon the girl, adding the youth protection workers intervene also immediately if the child is under 14.
Mr Ditges said: 'Here we always work from a "child welfare risk" and then apply a protective concept. In addition, a guardianship for the child in question shall be established immediately.'
Girls in Germany are allowed by law to marry when they reach the age of 16.
Neither the girl or her boyfriend were identified due to strict local privacy laws.
One of the Prophet Muhammad's wives, Aisha, is reported to have been nine when she married him.
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