Recent reports suggest that a mayor in Brazil has tied the knot with a 16-year-old beauty queen and subsequently elevated her mother to a high-ranking position.
The 65-year-old Mayor of Araucaria, located in the Brazilian state of Paraná, Hissam Hussein Dehaini, reportedly married his teenage bride Kauane Rode Camargo last month.
Kauane, who is still in high school, previously participated in the Miss Araucária contest last year, where she secured the second position in the teen category for girls aged 15 to 17.
Reportedly, the “teen princess” attends high school at a civic-military school in the city, which her now-husband oversees, as per Vogue in Brazil.
The couple reportedly met at a social event in the city.
Hissam, who is currently serving his second term as mayor, divorced his second wife last year.
Just a day after the wedding on April 12, Kauane’s mother, Marilene Rode, was appointed as the Secretary of Culture of Araucária. She previously held the position of general secretary, according to reports.
Marilene’s sister, Elizângela Rode, also serves as a commissioner at City Hall.
Local council representatives declined to comment on the wedding when approached by Banda B, citing it as a personal matter.
Under the Brazilian Civil Code, “a man and woman aged sixteen can marry, requiring authorization from both parents or their legal representatives until they reach the age of civil majority”.
According to Girls not Brides, more than 2.2 million minors are married in Brazil.
Flávia Gomes Cordeiro, a prosecutor from Piauí, emphasized that child marriage for girls leads to a life of “domestic service, lack of professional training, exclusion from the labor market, school dropout, and restriction of mobility and freedom”.
Hora Brasilia reported that “the union of Kauane and Hissam has been seen as an example of true love and overcoming prejudices.”